


The Battle of Sea Salt Bay (Seaon 1)

by Rhythmloid, TwelveOf8



Series: The Battle of Sea Salt Bay (DISCONTINUED) [1]
Category: Original Work, The Battle of Sea Salt Bay
Genre: 50's, 50's era, Action, Drama, Harsh Language, Other, Past, Roleplay, Romance, Swearing, highschool, original - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-15 00:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11795076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhythmloid/pseuds/Rhythmloid, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwelveOf8/pseuds/TwelveOf8
Summary: It's the 50's. A young girl moves into a new town called Sea Salt Bay, known for its salt water taffy. Upon moving, she didn't realize she would be getting tangled up in the affairs of the baddest gang in town: the Salt Bay Turbos. Now her life is a mess and everything is turning upside down. Tension is rising, fights are breaking out, and something is happening between gangs.





	1. Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ~Introduction~

Hello! I'm happy to announce that I will be posting a new original piece here! I have been working on this piece with a friend of mine for months and I'm happy to say that it's coming along quite well! Although it's been months in the works, I'm proud to say season 1 is finally finished and season 2 is in the works. 

This series will be quite long so I will be breaking it up into seasons. I am not quite sure how many seasons there will be or how long each season will be. I just know that my partner and I will stop when we feel like it's the right time to do so. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this piece! 

I will say this before you start reading! This was originally a roleplay. Without going back and forth between both points of view, it would be hard to understand. If you have any questions or comments, please ask @the-battle-of-sea-salt-bay on Tumblr. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 1

Charles stood at the waist high thick marble fencing that separated the outdoor leisure area from the steep slope below. He held a glass tumbler of scotch on the rocks in his left hand whilst his right hand rested upon the marble fence. Impeccably smooth and masterfully polished, just like the rest of the luxurious villa home.

He beheld a view that was worth a million dollars. Well, seventy-one point five million anyway. All of it payed upfront of course. "Spare no expense" was the Lancaster family motto after all. And it showed, in everything they owned and in every action they made. Opulence, style, and power all the way. Charles Lancaster III grinned smugly to himself at this thought. The evening breeze teased his short and impeccably groomed chestnut hair. It blew from the direction of the town of Sea Salt Bay. The luxurious villa of the Lancasters sat upon the side of a tall hill, or perhaps a small mountain, overlooking the quaint little town. The lights of Sea Salt Bay twinkled every single night. They twinkled for the Lancasters alone.

Charles took another sip of his scotch. The good stuff he smuggled from his father's private stash. Fancy scotch that only the rich could afford to drink regularly. Charles wouldn't be caught dead drinking cheap peasant swill. It was a good thing his parents weren't at home though, for they would’ve objected to his relatively liberal consumption of alcohol itself, let alone alcohol from their special reserve. They were going to be away for a while it seemed. For the rest of the year to be exact. They had managerial duties that demanded their full attention over in Alaska. Some business about finding a new oil deposit and making a pipeline through some native peasants land. 

His father never spoke about business with Charles. In fact, they barely spoke at all. His father, Devon Lancaster, always criticised him whenever he got the chance. He oft treated Charles like a child, treating him with the utmost condescension.. 

“You are but a boy, and quite a foolish one at that. Rough around the edges and spoiled rotten to boot. Until you bring glory to the Lancaster name, you’re nothing to me. " said his father much too often. 

Charles resolved to outdo that tired old man one day. But until then, why not have a little fun?

The new school year was going to start soon, a time of new beginnings for all. Charles had an idea that he'd been toying around with for quite some time. It seemed that nothing he did was ever good enough for his father. And so out of spite, and a yearning for a mere sliver of respect, Charles decided to hatch a plan. If this plan were to succeed, then he would become the most influential name in the quaint yet turbulent little town of Sea Salt Bay.

A devious smile spread across Charles's face. One way or another, this town will be his. When it came to all future ventures, one must start at the bottom. In the case of Charles himself, that would be the school yard. He dared not use his wealth to buy his way up though, like a typical classless nouveau riche. The richest of the rich arose through influence alone, whilst keeping losses to the bare minimum. And so in that spirit, it came to pass that Charles began to craft his devious little conspiracy. It would begin by reforming the Royals and taking the school. First the school, then the town.   
Charles grinned smugly to himself once more before taking another sip of scotch.

~~

"Corrine! I need two milkshakes and eggs sunny side up! And make it snappy!"

"Yes, Yes! I'm coming!"

She yelled at her brother, Antonio. As much as she hated working at the diner, it gave her an excuse to get out of the house and away from her tutor. Her father had recently moved to Sea Salt Bay to open another diner to their chain. The more they had, the more money they would get, of course. And why not open up a diner right on the boardwalk? It would make for good business, which it did.

The diner was jam packed today (like everyday) with orders coming left and right. Her hands were full of plates with every breakfast item on the menu imaginable. Her other brother, Antonio, was waiting on tables with her. Both were exhausted and ready to clock out. If she could persuade one of her other brothers to take over for her so she could sneak off and have fun. One of the customers was complaining about a couple of gangs making a ruckus, so Corrine had to check it out.

She quickly gave everyone their food, spilling a few drinks along the way. She rushed to the kitchen to sweet talk the eldest into giving her a break. After a few minutes of bargaining, her brother had agreed. She raced outside to find where the commotion was coming from.

~~

"So it is agreed then gentlemen. We shall reform the Royals and take the school. In exchange, we'll let you use this clubhouse for your hootenannies. Charles declared. 

The clubhouse erupted in applause at the deal that was just struck. The hooting and hollering caused quite a ruckus. It was loud enough for the whole town to hear. Charles inwardly groaned, while maintaining a neutral expression. 

"You gentlemen would do well to keep in mind that there is a limit to this deal. One party per month" Charles continued. The clubhouse plunged into silence upon hearing this latest development of their deal.

"No way square! Us Salt Bay Turbos will party whenever we damn well feel like it. We're rebels, ya dig!? We don't answer to no man, and that goes double for you fancy boy." challenged Chet, the leader of the Salt Bay Turbo gang. Emboldened by his challenge Chet's crew cheered and hollered like it was going out of style. 

"You tell him Chet!" yelled out one of his cronies. A tall fat guy with black hair that was slicked back with a liberal helping of grease. The Salt Bay Turbos all wore the typical greaser uniform. Black leather jacket, blue jeans, and a white t-shirt. The only difference being was the patches the gang wore to distinguish themselves on their jackets. They looked more like bikers than anything else. They had the reputation for being the meanest greasers in town. The Royals of the past used these guys for their dirty work in order to keep their hands clean. Reputations had to be protected of course. Charles surmised that The New Royals would make excellent use of them. Dumb muscle was always a useful asset.

Charles sighed before replying. "Alright Chet, here's the thing. We can't let you do that. We see what your kind does to respectable establishments. This clubhouse is the property of the Royals, not whatever you people call yourselves." Charles reasoned. 

The Turbos began to scream insults and threats of violence at Charles and his small retinue underlings. Chet stood up from his seat then kicked the coffee table over, sending glass steins and bowls of chips crashing to the ground. He then strode over to Charles, who was still seated, with as much menace as he could muster. Charles himself grinned smugly at Chet, whilst receiving his most intimidating death stare. 

"See what I mean? You people always make such an awful mess. I mean, this is a clubhouse. Perhaps you apes would feel more at home in a zoo?" Charles asked with a smug rin on his face.

A mighty haymaker was aimed at the the head of Charles. It travelled at the speed that strength and fury would allow. Coming from Chet, there was a hell of a lot of it. Fortunately for Charles, and rather unfortunately for Chet, he saw it coming from miles away. One of Charles's tutors was an expert in the fighting styles of the Far East. He knew exactly what to do in a fight. With that in mind, what happened next was hardly a surprise. 

Charles blocked the haymaker with his arm. He them punched forward into Chet’s lower abdomen. In the blink of an eye, Charles stood up then kneed Chet while he was still slightly stunned by Charles's punch. The knee made Chet keel over even more. Charles then put Chet's arm in a spider lock, a move designed to incapacitate by immobilising the shoulder. It also caused quite a lot of pain if one were to struggle against it. All of this went down in less than five seconds. Truth be told, Charles goaded Chet into this physical confrontation. It was all a part of his plan. 

"Ahh, let go of me damn it!" yelled Chet. 

The other Turbos stopped in their tracks before they got physical at the sight of their leader being rendered helpless. Kicking Chet's ass was no mean feat. With his blonde hair, football player build, and burgeoning facial hair, he looked very much like a Viking warrior. 

"Call off your monkeys." ordered Charles. 

"Ok ok, just take it easy on my arm. Stand down fellas." Chat told his crew. The Salt Bay Turbos meekly backed down.

Charles released Chet from his hold. "So do we have a deal Chet? Old buddy, old pal." Charles asked, with obviously feigned friendliness. 

"Sure, we got ourselves a deal." Chet replied, rather reluctantly.

~~

"Come on Corrine! Slow down! I can't run as fast as you!" The youngest of the brothers yells. His breath was short and he couldn’t take many more steps without having to take a breath from his inhaler.

"Oh come on Will! I swear I saw something over here!" She couldn’t help but smile. Not only did she get to skip work, she might get to see a fight.

As Wilson finally caught up to his younger sister, he noticed that she looked visibly disappointed.. The fighting must’ve ceased before they had reached them. Corrine groaned. Why did she have to miss all of the good stuff? 

"Wilson, this is all your fault!" she rebuked.

"What did I do!?" he whined.

"Whatever. Darn it! I always miss out on all the fun!" She exclaimed a little too loudly. She then crossed her arms and pouted out of frustrated indignation.

"SHH! They're gonna hear us!" Wilson shushed his sister, putting a finger against his lips. Wilson, being the rational one, knew that his sister would very likely get into trouble. Lenny, their eldest brother, would then have to bail them out. And of course they would owe Lenny a favour, which he would collect, one way or another. Wilson attempted to drag his sister away before they brought any more attention towards themselves. 

"Whatever, let them! They'll probably just let us go anyway. It’s not like we did anything." Corrine reasoned. The two youngest begin to bicker loudly.

~~

All those in attendance at the clubhouse meeting heard the hushed and aggressive whispers coming from the outside. The sound emanated from somewhere beneath one of the stationary windows to the right of Charles. 

"There seems to be a couple of mice scurrying around outside." Charles observed. 

He was neither worried nor interested. His interest though were in finding out whether his new business associate could handle possible intrusions.

"Go check it out Rolo" ordered Chet. 

The gang leader also seemed unconcerned about the interruption to their proceedings. But Chet felt that he had to at play the boss card, in order to spare whatever remained of his dignity. 

"Sure thing boss." replied the really tall, really fat guy with the black slicked hair. "Come on Switch, you to Divo" ordered Rolo. 

A scrawny guy of medium height with black hair and a pair of beatnik glasses alongside a short and stocky guy in a regular pair of sunglasses wordlessly accompanied Rolo out the front door of the clubhouse. 

"Yeah, so once a month. That'll give us time to restock the bar and get everything back into...." Charles explained. For Rolo, Switch, and Divo, the explanation was cut short as they left through the clubhouse door.

~~

"Corrine, be quiet! I hear someone coming! You really did it now! I'm getting out of here!" Wilson yelled. He then ran back to the diner in a panic. Corrine on the other hand, decided to check out what was going on inside. She tried her best to sneak into the house, but ended up running into three, much tougher looking guys.

"Oh! Uh... is this your place? Heh, well, I guess I'll just be, uh, heading over to the door now..." She laughed nervously. 

Maybe she shouldn't have come to this weird house. Her brother was going to have a field day picking with her for this one. She looked at the three in front of her. Two were much taller than her and the other is more her height. But still, they looked much tougher than she thought they would be. 

Corrine looked for a place to squeeze herself through so she could enter the clubhouse, but found nothing. She couldn't run and turn back out of fear of the possibility that they may chase her over to the diner. Even if they didn't, she didn't want to seem like a coward. Who knows? Maybe they'll let her inside! But instead of taking a chance, she tried to bolt and push her way through to make it to the door.

~~

"Hey you! Little mouse!" shouted Rolo. "We got no cheese here!" he shouted again, more playfully this time.

"I know where you can find some, little cutie" said Switch, the lanky one. He then made the crotch chop gesture before laughing hysterically. His laugh sounded like that of a hyena but twice as loud and five times as abrasive. 

"Shut it Switch!" piped up Divo, the short stocky one. "She'd rather have a guy like me! Not some scrawny wiener like you" he stated.

"I suppose you are more, down to earth." countered Switch, before laughing at his own referential joke. His laugh was even louder and more obnoxious than before. 

"Why I oughta...." threatened Divo. 

He grabbed Switches shirt then pulled his chest down, so that they were both face to face. Switch was still giggling, not taking the threat of violence seriously in the least. It seemed that such instances were not uncommon between Switch and Divo.

"Now now boys" placated Rolo. "That's no way to behave in front of our guest. Look at her, the poor thing. You dopes have scared her half to death! Rolo rebuked. 

"Sorry Rolo" said Divo, before letting Switch go. 

"We didn't mean it big guy. You know we was just playin." said Switch, apologetically. 

"Boneheads!" Rolor rebuked again. 

Rolex turned to the girl they discovered outside the clubhouse. "What's your name little darlin?" he asked. 

~~

Corrine hesitated to answer.

"M-my name's Corrine." She said softly.   
All of her confidence quickly faded away, her fighting spirit crushed. She should have listened to her brother and ran home. She had no choice but to explain herself to these three rough looking guys. Hopefully they were the reasonable types. 

"I-I came here because I heard someone was gonna get beat up, but I ended up meeting up with the tall ones. My brother ran back to the diner…." she explained. Corinne's explanation came out as a nervous ramble that faded into an awkward silence. All the while, she hoped that her story would get her off the hook.

"So, uh, what's your name? Are you gonna beat me up?" Corrine asked nervously.

She knew that her brothers would be furious if she came home with a black eye. Lord have mercy on her brothers who had gotten into fights and came home with a shiner. The eldest, Lenny, would be furious. Especially with Antonio's old gang running around their old town, basically fighting anything that moved and breathed.

"I wanted to go inside the house to see what was going on. Can I? I won't break anything or tell anyone. Honest!" She pleaded. So far this was the most exciting thing that has happened since she moved to this little town.

 

~~

"Corrine huh? A pretty name for a pretty girl." Rolo commented. He was a sucker for a pretty face. Especially if that pretty face belonged to a shy girl. Pretty shy girls were his favourite. 

"The name's Rolo" he announced. "The scrawny perv to my right is Switch" Rolo gestured towards the scrawny guy of medium height.

Switch pulled down his beatnik shades down to the tip of his nose, revealing hazel eyes. He gave Corrine a wink before putting them back into place.

"The nub to my left is Divo" Rolo gestured to his left at the short guy with the normal shades.

Divo gave Corrine a cheesy grin and two finger pistol gestures with both hands simultaneously. A killer move he used at every opportunity.

"And we are the baddest greaser gang in town! The Salt Bay Turbos!" Rolo announced proudly. 

The trio turned their backs to Corrine for a moment, showing their club patches on their backs. The trio then turned back around to face Corrine. 

"And don't worry your pretty little head. We won't beat you up. We like you! Isn't that right fellas!?" Rolo asked of his companions.

"We sure do big guy" Divo replied.

"Damn skippy" Switch intoned.

"If you want to see the inside of the clubhouse little cutie. You'll have to wait until the Royal Regal Bash, like all the other guests." Rolo stated. "Ya see, us Salt Bay Turbos throw the wildest parties around, but we got tired of the same old scene ya know. Cheap beer, dirty places to crash, and even dirtier girls." Rolo explained.

"You said it brotha" piped up Divo.

"I think I caught somethin’ from last time." Switch complained.

"And because we're rebels, the baddest rebels around, the man gives us no respect." Rolo stated bitterly.

"We bleed for our patches. Ain't that worth nothin?" asked Divo.

"And we make other people bleed for em as well, much more fun." interjected Switch.

"So along comes lord fancy pants in there, with a deal that'll set us straight." said Rolo. "He says that if we join up with his crew and form the new Royals, he'll let us Turbos use his sweet pad, once a month. Free of charge. Sounds pretty sweet don't it." Rolo explained. 

"Whooo ee!" sounded Divo.

"Outta sight." said Switch.

"You're welcome to come along little missy. You're little brother too. It's gonna be a wild! Just ask for me at the door. I ain't gonna forget you, that I can promise ya." said Rolo. His invitation was genuine, though at times it was hard to tell whether he was being genuine and when he wasn't.

"So what do ya say, little missy?" Rolo asked Corrine.

~~

Corrine thought to herself for a bit. The youngest definitely won't come. He's too scared to do anything because of his asthma. Her other brothers are too busy with work or college to do anything fun with her anymore. So she's on her own for once. Which is good! She can take care of herself just fine! This Sea Salt Turbo Gang was pretty funny too, so what's the harm?

"Yeah! I'll join you!" She replies excitedly. "When will it be? I sometimes have to work the graveyard shift at the diner, but maybe I'll just ask my brothers to let me go." she said. 

The twins Andy and Jacob could just cover for her while she had herself some fun. She'll just have to sneak out as quietly as possible. And it’ll be her little secret..

"Is anyone else going? I can't wait to go!" Corrine asked excitedly.

She couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face. Maybe moving here wasn't so bad after all! She might actually get used to living in a small town like this. If she gets to have fun like this every so often, it might be bearable to live here.

 

~~

Rolo issued a deep and bellowing belly laugh. "Well little lady." said Rolo. He paused slightly before continuing. "We don't know who's gonna be there. This is gonna be the very first Royal Regal Bash! Us Salt Bay Turbos are just lookin' to make friends in high places, and to drink the finer hooch." Rolo explained. 

"Us Salt Bay Turbos have got big dreams baby!" exclaimed Divo.

"Cool cats and sexy chicks, as far as the eye can see." said Switch, wistfully.

"So Corrine baby, we know as much as you. But if the other guests turn out to be total squares, then, ya know, all four of us can split." said Rolo. "Or maybe just the two of us, ya know." suggested Rolo. A light shade of blush peppered his cheeks. 

"Oooooo looks like someone's in loooooove." teased Switch.

"Can it Switch!" reprimanded Divo.

This short exchange went unnoticed by Rolo, for he was on cloud nine. He felt that nothing could ruin his day.

"This Saturday, doors open at 8:00pm. See ya there Corrine baby." said Rolo. He gave Corrine a wink and a smile. 

Rolo let out yet another deep belly laugh. His laugh continued as he grabbed both Switch and Divo with one arm each. He hugged them close while holding them up from the ground to his side. 

Rolos companions issued forth various complaints as he walked away. His laugh could still be heard around the corner of the clubhouse. 

 

The entire clubhouse stared at Rolo and his posse. All the attention was focused on Rolo in particular. His laughing ceased the moment he realised he was making a scene. He then released Switch and Divo from his hold. They scampered off, visibly embarrassed. 

"He he, sorry boss." said Rolo, rather sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his head with his left hand. 

"Looks like you guys had fun." observed Chet. His grin showed his amusement at the surprising interruption.

"It's just some Girl Scouts boss. They were arguing about the price of choc raisin cookies" explained Rolo. "She told me this joke boss. It was hilarious!" Rolo explained further.

"Really? What was it?" asked Charles. He was genuinely interested in what lower class people considered humour.

"It's cool Rolo." dismissed Chet.

"No! Go on, what's the joke? I want to know." pressed Charles.

"Weeeeeell." said Rolo nervously. "Ya see. It goes something like this." continued. Comedic improv wasn't one of his talents. Rolo subtlety gestured at Switch and Divo for help. 

"We was askin’ about the Girl Scout cookies." volunteered Divo.

"But they said they only had one flavour left." continued Switch.

"And so he big guy said "It better not be banana"" said Divo. Though his Rolo impression wasn't accurate, he did get a couple of giggles from the crowd.

"And so the Girl Scout said." interjected Switch.

"Orange you glad I didn't say banana!?" said Switch and Divo at the exact time. 

A few of the Salt Bay Turbos and a couple of Charles's cronies laughed loudly at this fake story. Chet smiled from ear to ear. Charles just sat there, looking bored.

"I hope the cookies are sweet this time Rolo. If they ain't, then we're gonna have words." warned Chet.

"Don't worry boss, sweetest cookies yet." replied Rolo. He gave Switch and Divo a thumbs up as thanks. He owed them big time, and they weren't going to let him forget it.

"I believe we're done here. Nice doing business with you gentlemen." said Charles.

"Likewise." replied Chet.

~~

"See ya..." Corrine trailed off.” I guess I should head home. It's getting late and my brothers are probably worried.” She starts to walk back to her house. But that walk turns into a jog. And that jog turns into a run. Then that run turns into a sprint. She laughs herself silly and happily ran down the hill. She finally got to go to a party!


	3. Chapter 2

She straightened herself up and walked back to her house, humming.. When she entered through the doorway, however, her brothers were all standing there. Their glares were intense and penetrating.

"And where were you?!" The eldest, Lenny yelled. "We were worried sick!"

"Corrine, you have some explaining to do!" Charlie yelled.

"I-I...-"

"Corrine, don't stay out like that! Who knows who could’ve kidnapped you! I shudder to think what they would’ve done to you." Oliver said, worried sick about his sister. His voice was calmer than the rest but still very distressed.

"Aw, gee, sis. You had us worried." said Andy, the older twin.

"Yeah, real worried." echoed Jacob, the younger twin.

"Wilson was the one who left me! I would’ve never had been alone if he didn’t run away like a scaredy cat!" Corrine yelled back. It wasn't fair! They never let her have any fun.

"You should’ve come with me! It was dangerous!" Wilson snapped back.

"It wasn't! You're just a big scaredy cat! I talked to some of them. For your information they turned out to be really nice!" She exclaimed.

"QUIET!" Lenny yelled. The house fell silent. All the eyes in the room were drawn to him. "Corrine, go to your room. You all owe us double now. No passes. We get to ask for anything! No exceptions! Now go!"

"But Lenny-"

"I SAID GO!" shouted Lenny imperiously.

Corrine ran up the stairs and into her room. Lenny groaned then rubbed his temples, plopping down on a chair in the living room.

While in her room, she flung herself down onto her bed. Her room looked like it belonged to a princess. It was large with a daybed and a balcony with a perfect view of the beach. It had a large piano and shelves filled to the brim with sketchbooks and fairytale books. A room girls could only dream of. She truly was a spoiled princess. 

A large black cat layed down next to her. "Hi Sebastian..." Corrine greeted lovingly.

"You'd let me go, right?" 'Why of course I would Corrine! It's not that bad!'" Corrine said, giving the fat cat a voice. It wasn't fair. Her brothers got to do what they wanted! Why couldn't she? A knock on the door interrupted her myriad of groans and grumbles..

"Knock, Knock puddin' pop!" announced a familiar voice. 

It was Antonio! He sat next to her on her bed and ruffled her hair around. She smiled , but then went back to moping. "Whats wrong? I thought you’d be happier to see me."

"The guys won’t let me out! And on top of that I owe them double favors! It’s not fair! I just wanted to go out for a bit... I won’t be able to go to that party on Saturday." said Corrine.

"Whoa hold up! You got invited to a party!? That's fantastic! Here, since you’re my favorite sister-"

"I'm your only sister!" Corrine laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Looks like it’s your lucky day, cuz I'm gonna cover for you! Just tell me when the party is and I'll do whatever I can! Who invited you?"

"They call themselves the Sea Salt Turbos. I thought they were gonna beat me up, but they ended up liking me a lot! I think..."

"You got invited by a gang? I'm so proud of you!" Antonio exclaimed. He then hugged his sister a little too tightly for her liking. "I knew you were going to be more like me! I just knew it! Lets go pick out something for you to wear, hm? I'll even let you wear my jacket!"

"Thanks, Antonio! You're the best!" Corrine smiled..

 

Meanwhile, downstairs, Lenny paced back and forth. 

"Maybe we were a little too harsh on her..." Charlie said.

 

"No, if anything we’ve been too soft on her. She needs to learn." Lenny snapped.

 

"Whatever you say, Lenny. Now go to bed. We have work tomorrow.” Charlie ordered, before heading off to bed himself.

 

Lenny stayed up, worried sick about his sister. She’d never run off like that before. It just wasn't like her. Then again, she was a teenager. It must be a rebellious phase. Hopefully it would pass soon, for her sake.

~~

They say that the more things change, the more things stay the same. That couldn't be more true for the kids of Salt Bay High. Every kid had their clique and every clique had their place. The schoolyard rules regarding the division and social hierarchy of the cliques were unwritten yet strictly adhered to. Fear and insecurity ruled the school halls with an iron fist. The fear of being singled out and cursed with the untouchable status was very real. Such an anxiety made the students themselves dare not stand out, dare not venture outside their respective cliques. Doing so would incur bullying and possible ostracization. Because of this, it wasn't very common for people from different cliques to socialise, let alone fraternise.

Unbeknownst to all but the very few, such a social division was put in place and enforced by the old Royals. By going after the few kids daring enough to stand out, kept the rest of the kids in a state of fear. When people were scared, they were easy to keep in line. Fear bred obedience in an environment where no group had the power to have mercy. The school yard of Salt Bay High was such a place. 

When the Old Royals fell apart, the social hierarchy became less rigid. Cliques were free to intermingle with one another. Kids weren't targeted for being too "weird". Mostly, people kept to themselves. Things were normal, at least, for a while. 

Many powerful alliances had been formed and disbanded throughout the schools tumultuous history, though few would garner more of a reaction than the formation of the New Royals. For the kids of Salt Bay High, whom have had older siblings during the reign of the Old Royals, this would signal the return of the bad old days. Sadly, they had no idea how right they would be.

Such an oppressive social arrangement appealed to Charles, along with anyone of low moral fibre. But he chose to play it cool, for now. No doubt the school was filled with tough guys and cool cats. People who would jump at the chance to kick the butts of those who thought themselves better than others. Charles was well aware of the predicament presented to him. But he had a plan. By the end of the term, the school would be in the palm of his hand. 

For now, Charles sat in one of the nicer seating areas. Beneath the shade sails, next to the tulip garden. He laughed with his cronies and sycophants. In the back of his mind though, he was planning. He was always planning.

 

~~

Corrine was in the administration office, getting all of her new student papers signed. She was as ready to enter this new school as she could ever be. For Corrine though waiting was always the hardest part. She sat in the chair, bored out of her mind. All she heard was 'sign this' and 'read this' or 'take this home'. Lenny and Charlie, who were both next to her, acted like her parents. Because both of their parents were gone, it was their job to keep the family stable.

Corrine looked at the clock for the thousandth time. Students would be in their classes by now, listening to another boring staff member talk about frog guts or algebra. As much as she loved school, she just couldn't stay awake during class. If only there were something more exciting happening she might actually enjoy it more.

She snapped out of her daydream when she heard the principal call her name. He asked her about signing a couple more papers before letting her go to get ready for school tomorrow. As she signed the papers, an idea hatched inside her head. She decided to finish signing her stack of school papers before voicing her request.

"May I please look around the school? I only just moved here, and I don't know where anything is. I promise I won't interrupt anything." asked Corrine in her most honeyed up voice.

The principal was reluctant, but decided let her go against his better judgement. She smiled and thanked the principal. She then rushed out of his office like a whippet. Lenny and Charlie thanked the principal too. The two brothers then walked back to their car. Lenny, a bit reluctant to let Corine wander around on her own, sulked in his seat.

"Dammit Charlie, what if someone hurts her?" Lenny growled.

"She'll be fine. Even if that happens she can just report it to the school." Charlie replied calmly.

 

Meanwhile, Corrine was having the time of her life. She raced down the hallways to look at each and every class room. She peaked through the windows, staring at all the students who were sleeping in their chairs. Even the teachers looked tired. A bit disappointed, she ran over to the lab room. They didn’t seem to be doing anything but taking notes. How boring.

Corrine headed over to the back of the school. A large grassy area, which looked like it was used for physical education as well as for hanging around during lunchtime. A few girls looked like they were skipping class to smoke a bit, each of them laughed obnoxiously about gossip. 

As she continued to wander through the grassy area, she found tulips. She immediately walked over and smelled all of the flowers. The sweet aroma wafted into her nose and memories flooded into her head. 

"Poor Mama..." She said to herself. Tears started to form in her eyes. They reminded her too much of her mother. Such a sweet woman who had left this world too soon. Wiping her eyes, she immediately thought of something else. It's amazing how such a flower can make her cry in an instant. She couldn't let anyone see her like that. 

After her little moment, fatigue washed over her. “Well it was such a nice day and all, why not take a quick nap?” Corrine asked herself. She layed down right next to the tulips, hoping not to crush them, and closed her eyes.

~~

Charles couldn't help but notice the strange girl by the tulip garden. Most people would feel at least a twang pity for the strange girl crying for her mother. Not Charles though, who merely scoffed at said thing. He thought it quite crass and plebeian to cry in public. Perhaps, he thought to himself, the school needed to be cleaned up a lot sooner than expected. Charles cast the weird girl from his mind and returned his attentions to his cronies and sycophants. 

A short time later the bell rang. As Charles and his group left their hangout spot, they discovered the strange girl, sleeping next to the garden. None amongst him paid her any attention. They merely stepped over her like she was a pile of trash.

"Trash." said Charles coldly. He gave Corrine a look of utter disgust and disdain before stepping over her.

 

"Hey Corrine! Baby! Wake up!" said Divo. He was kneeling beside her. He placed a hand on each of her upper arms then gently shook her. Hopefully Corrine would awaken.

~~

Corrine slowly woke up from her nap. She stretched her limbs out like a cat and looked around. How long was she asleep? And why was Divo here? 

"Oh, hello Divo. Why are you here? Why are you wearing that? Wait... do you go here!?" Corrinne asked inquisitively.

She cocked her head to the right. It was nice to have someone she knew go to the same school as her. It might make things easier. But other than his face, she barely recognized him. Maybe it was the uniform.

"Don't tell me I gotta wear a uniform too. Gross... I thought I'd be done with that." Corrine sighed. She hated wearing uniforms. Especially skirts. Maybe she could get away with wearing pants for once.

~~

"Yeah, I look like a total dweeb huh." said Divo. His cheeks blushed. "Just so ya know, we're only wearing these dweeby outfits on boss's orders." he said. "Also, to answer your question little lady, we all go here. All us guys." Divo stated. "We may look big and mean, and we are. We can totally kick the ass outa any adult, any day. Really though, we're just a bunch of crazy high school cats." he explained. "So, what you doin on the floor? You wasted or somthin?" Divo asked. A grin spread across his face.

~~

Corrine laughed then stood up, dusting herself off. She wiped her eyes, which were still a bit red from earlier."No, Silly! I fell asleep and took a bit of a nap. I didn't mean to though, I must’ve dozed off. There were some people here as well, but I didn't know who they were. I didn’t say 'hi' or anything." reported Corrine. She eyeballed him, looking up and down at his uniform.

"So, do I have to wear a skirt? If I do can you just sneak me some pants? I hate skirts. I only wear them for parties or if my brothers force me." explained Corrine. She scrunched up her face. The only thing worse than wearing uniforms is wearing skirts with them. Boys would always look up her skirt and tease her about it. It's not like you could wear shorts under them without it being noticeable. That would be even worse!

But her frown quickly turned into a smile. "So, does this mean I get to hang out with you?! Like, during breaks or something?!" Corrine asked excitedly. She naively thought that she had a friend to hang out with in school..

~~

"You're one wild cat. Falling asleep in a public place. Right in front of the New Royals to boot. Wait til the fellas hear about this." said Divo. He was confounded by Corrines behaviour, but at the same time, kinda impressed. 

Divo brushed his hair back, in an effort to keep up appearances. He felt a strong desire to impress Corrine. "Just in case you're wondering where the other guys are. Switch was in detention for sneaking into the girls locker room and perving on em, again." Divo explained. "And Rolo, the big fella, he's with the boss. You know somethins goin down when they're tight." Divo continued. 

The ever masculine Divo completely ignored Corrines query about school attire. He considered the subject much too girly for his tastes. 

"So, uhh you said somethin about hangin out?" Divo asked.

~~

Corrine nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Let’s hang out! I mean, who else am I going to hang out with? I'm the new kid. It's gonna go two ways." She started. She knew how her old school was. It looked like it'll be a similar scenario.

"Either people are going to like me, or people are going to treat me like garbage. I've noticed this school is pretty cliquey, and I probably won’t fit in anywhere. So, why not stay with you? Someone who knows me! I hate being alone so I'm just going to stay with you. OK? OK!" she pleaded desperately, not letting him have a say. She smiled a bit too proudly. It’s almost like she had the whole thing planned out. 

A car horn sounded off in the distance. Corrine turned around and remembered that her brothers were waiting to pick her up to drop her off to work. 

"Oh dear... My brothers are waiting for me! Well, I'll see you later, Divo! Can't wait for school tomorrow!" she waved at him while he ran back to her brothers' car, running through the Royal's hang out place and dashing away.

~~

"But hey, Corrine…." Divo began. He sighed to himself. Corrinne was in too much of a hurry to listen to him. Divo let out a sigh of slight frustration.

Divo felt kinda uncomfortable when Corrine voiced her assumption. She was a sweet kid and a pretty girl. He really didn't want to break the news to her. He worried that Corrine wouldn't take it very well. Rules were rules after all. Even amongst outlaws. Maybe Corrine could pull through and make it, but only time would tell. 

Divo himself remembered all too clearly what it was like being the new kid, especially in a school like Salt Bay High. He remembered meeting Switch and Rolo for the first time. How they introduced him to the Salt Bay Turbos. How they made him go through the Salt Bay Turbo initiation challenges. Those weren't fun times. But it was times like these that people needed friends the most. Sadly though, it took more than just being friends for one to be allowed to hang with the Salt Bay Turbos. He didn't want to tell Corrine the bad news but neither did he want Corrine to go through what he had to. In order to protect Corrine, he and his friends would have to hurt her, before completely accepting her as one of their own. With such a prospect at hand, Divo felt conflicted.

~~

Corrine sat in the backseat, singing along to the radio. Charlie was humming while Lenny stayed silent. He parked the car near the diner then turned around to face Corrine. 

"Kiddo, listen..." Lenny started. He knew Corrine was a sweet girl, so he'll have to tell her gently. "I know how you can get when you’re at a new school. You get very excited and you may come off as.. oh what’s the word..."

"What your brother is trying to say is not to get ahead of yourself and try not get into trouble. Focus on your studies, ok?” Lenny butted in, finishing his brother's statement. 

He was right. Corrine did get into a lot of trouble. Especially when it came to the wrong type of people. Before they moved, Antonio had to step in a lot and take care of her little mishaps. She caused him an endless amount of headaches.

Corrine stared blankly at her brothers, then smiled sweetly. "Ok, I won’t. I promise I’ll try my best." She lied. Of course she didn’t intend to keep her promise. She lived for trouble! She already had a plan brewing in her head. 

"Do you want to go back home and get ready for school tomorrow? I won’t force you to work if you have some stuff to do." asked Lenny. 

"Yes please." She replied quickly. 

Charlie got out of the car then headed into the diner while Lenny drove Corrine back home. All the while Corinne pondered whether she should sew a new pair of pants or not.

As they reached the house, Corrine immediately ran up to her room then locked her door. She squealed with excitement for tomorrow. She pulled out her sewing kit then started making her pants for school. But because her skills were lacking, it took her all night. The poor thing was exhausted when she looked up at the clock. It read eleven thirty. But at least she was ready for tomorrow!

Right?


	4. Chapter 3

She straightened herself up and walked back to her house, humming.. When she entered through the doorway, however, her brothers were all standing there. Their glares were intense and penetrating.

"And where were you?!" The eldest, Lenny yelled. "We were worried sick!"

"Corrine, you have some explaining to do!" Charlie yelled.

"I-I...-"

"Corrine, don't stay out like that! Who knows who could’ve kidnapped you! I shudder to think what they would’ve done to you." Oliver said, worried sick about his sister. His voice was calmer than the rest but still very distressed.

"Aw, gee, sis. You had us worried." said Andy, the older twin.

"Yeah, real worried." echoed Jacob, the younger twin.

"Wilson was the one who left me! I would’ve never had been alone if he didn’t run away like a scaredy cat!" Corrine yelled back. It wasn't fair! They never let her have any fun.

"You should’ve come with me! It was dangerous!" Wilson snapped back.

"It wasn't! You're just a big scaredy cat! I talked to some of them. For your information they turned out to be really nice!" She exclaimed.

"QUIET!" Lenny yelled. The house fell silent. All the eyes in the room were drawn to him. "Corrine, go to your room. You all owe us double now. No passes. We get to ask for anything! No exceptions! Now go!"

"But Lenny-"

"I SAID GO!" shouted Lenny imperiously.

Corrine ran up the stairs and into her room. Lenny groaned then rubbed his temples, plopping down on a chair in the living room.

While in her room, she flung herself down onto her bed. Her room looked like it belonged to a princess. It was large with a daybed and a balcony with a perfect view of the beach. It had a large piano and shelves filled to the brim with sketchbooks and fairytale books. A room girls could only dream of. She truly was a spoiled princess. 

A large black cat layed down next to her. "Hi Sebastian..." Corrine greeted lovingly.

"You'd let me go, right?" 'Why of course I would Corrine! It's not that bad!'" Corrine said, giving the fat cat a voice. It wasn't fair. Her brothers got to do what they wanted! Why couldn't she? A knock on the door interrupted her myriad of groans and grumbles..

"Knock, Knock puddin' pop!" announced a familiar voice. 

It was Antonio! He sat next to her on her bed and ruffled her hair around. She smiled , but then went back to moping. "Whats wrong? I thought you’d be happier to see me."

"The guys won’t let me out! And on top of that I owe them double favors! It’s not fair! I just wanted to go out for a bit... I won’t be able to go to that party on Saturday." said Corrine.

"Whoa hold up! You got invited to a party!? That's fantastic! Here, since you’re my favorite sister-"

"I'm your only sister!" Corrine laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Looks like it’s your lucky day, cuz I'm gonna cover for you! Just tell me when the party is and I'll do whatever I can! Who invited you?"

"They call themselves the Sea Salt Turbos. I thought they were gonna beat me up, but they ended up liking me a lot! I think..."

"You got invited by a gang? I'm so proud of you!" Antonio exclaimed. He then hugged his sister a little too tightly for her liking. "I knew you were going to be more like me! I just knew it! Lets go pick out something for you to wear, hm? I'll even let you wear my jacket!"

"Thanks, Antonio! You're the best!" Corrine smiled..

 

Meanwhile, downstairs, Lenny paced back and forth. 

"Maybe we were a little too harsh on her..." Charlie said.

 

"No, if anything we’ve been too soft on her. She needs to learn." Lenny snapped.

 

"Whatever you say, Lenny. Now go to bed. We have work tomorrow.” Charlie ordered, before heading off to bed himself.

 

Lenny stayed up, worried sick about his sister. She’d never run off like that before. It just wasn't like her. Then again, she was a teenager. It must be a rebellious phase. Hopefully it would pass soon, for her sake.

~~

They say that the more things change, the more things stay the same. That couldn't be more true for the kids of Salt Bay High. Every kid had their clique and every clique had their place. The schoolyard rules regarding the division and social hierarchy of the cliques were unwritten yet strictly adhered to. Fear and insecurity ruled the school halls with an iron fist. The fear of being singled out and cursed with the untouchable status was very real. Such an anxiety made the students themselves dare not stand out, dare not venture outside their respective cliques. Doing so would incur bullying and possible ostracization. Because of this, it wasn't very common for people from different cliques to socialise, let alone fraternise.

Unbeknownst to all but the very few, such a social division was put in place and enforced by the old Royals. By going after the few kids daring enough to stand out, kept the rest of the kids in a state of fear. When people were scared, they were easy to keep in line. Fear bred obedience in an environment where no group had the power to have mercy. The school yard of Salt Bay High was such a place. 

When the Old Royals fell apart, the social hierarchy became less rigid. Cliques were free to intermingle with one another. Kids weren't targeted for being too "weird". Mostly, people kept to themselves. Things were normal, at least, for a while. 

Many powerful alliances had been formed and disbanded throughout the schools tumultuous history, though few would garner more of a reaction than the formation of the New Royals. For the kids of Salt Bay High, whom have had older siblings during the reign of the Old Royals, this would signal the return of the bad old days. Sadly, they had no idea how right they would be.

Such an oppressive social arrangement appealed to Charles, along with anyone of low moral fibre. But he chose to play it cool, for now. No doubt the school was filled with tough guys and cool cats. People who would jump at the chance to kick the butts of those who thought themselves better than others. Charles was well aware of the predicament presented to him. But he had a plan. By the end of the term, the school would be in the palm of his hand. 

For now, Charles sat in one of the nicer seating areas. Beneath the shade sails, next to the tulip garden. He laughed with his cronies and sycophants. In the back of his mind though, he was planning. He was always planning.

 

~~

Corrine was in the administration office, getting all of her new student papers signed. She was as ready to enter this new school as she could ever be. For Corrine though waiting was always the hardest part. She sat in the chair, bored out of her mind. All she heard was 'sign this' and 'read this' or 'take this home'. Lenny and Charlie, who were both next to her, acted like her parents. Because both of their parents were gone, it was their job to keep the family stable.

Corrine looked at the clock for the thousandth time. Students would be in their classes by now, listening to another boring staff member talk about frog guts or algebra. As much as she loved school, she just couldn't stay awake during class. If only there were something more exciting happening she might actually enjoy it more.

She snapped out of her daydream when she heard the principal call her name. He asked her about signing a couple more papers before letting her go to get ready for school tomorrow. As she signed the papers, an idea hatched inside her head. She decided to finish signing her stack of school papers before voicing her request.

"May I please look around the school? I only just moved here, and I don't know where anything is. I promise I won't interrupt anything." asked Corrine in her most honeyed up voice.

The principal was reluctant, but decided let her go against his better judgement. She smiled and thanked the principal. She then rushed out of his office like a whippet. Lenny and Charlie thanked the principal too. The two brothers then walked back to their car. Lenny, a bit reluctant to let Corine wander around on her own, sulked in his seat.

"Dammit Charlie, what if someone hurts her?" Lenny growled.

"She'll be fine. Even if that happens she can just report it to the school." Charlie replied calmly.

 

Meanwhile, Corrine was having the time of her life. She raced down the hallways to look at each and every class room. She peaked through the windows, staring at all the students who were sleeping in their chairs. Even the teachers looked tired. A bit disappointed, she ran over to the lab room. They didn’t seem to be doing anything but taking notes. How boring.

Corrine headed over to the back of the school. A large grassy area, which looked like it was used for physical education as well as for hanging around during lunchtime. A few girls looked like they were skipping class to smoke a bit, each of them laughed obnoxiously about gossip. 

As she continued to wander through the grassy area, she found tulips. She immediately walked over and smelled all of the flowers. The sweet aroma wafted into her nose and memories flooded into her head. 

"Poor Mama..." She said to herself. Tears started to form in her eyes. They reminded her too much of her mother. Such a sweet woman who had left this world too soon. Wiping her eyes, she immediately thought of something else. It's amazing how such a flower can make her cry in an instant. She couldn't let anyone see her like that. 

After her little moment, fatigue washed over her. “Well it was such a nice day and all, why not take a quick nap?” Corrine asked herself. She layed down right next to the tulips, hoping not to crush them, and closed her eyes.

~~

Charles couldn't help but notice the strange girl by the tulip garden. Most people would feel at least a twang pity for the strange girl crying for her mother. Not Charles though, who merely scoffed at said thing. He thought it quite crass and plebeian to cry in public. Perhaps, he thought to himself, the school needed to be cleaned up a lot sooner than expected. Charles cast the weird girl from his mind and returned his attentions to his cronies and sycophants. 

A short time later the bell rang. As Charles and his group left their hangout spot, they discovered the strange girl, sleeping next to the garden. None amongst him paid her any attention. They merely stepped over her like she was a pile of trash.

"Trash." said Charles coldly. He gave Corrine a look of utter disgust and disdain before stepping over her.

 

"Hey Corrine! Baby! Wake up!" said Divo. He was kneeling beside her. He placed a hand on each of her upper arms then gently shook her. Hopefully Corrine would awaken.

~~

Corrine slowly woke up from her nap. She stretched her limbs out like a cat and looked around. How long was she asleep? And why was Divo here? 

"Oh, hello Divo. Why are you here? Why are you wearing that? Wait... do you go here!?" Corrinne asked inquisitively.

She cocked her head to the right. It was nice to have someone she knew go to the same school as her. It might make things easier. But other than his face, she barely recognized him. Maybe it was the uniform.

"Don't tell me I gotta wear a uniform too. Gross... I thought I'd be done with that." Corrine sighed. She hated wearing uniforms. Especially skirts. Maybe she could get away with wearing pants for once.

~~

"Yeah, I look like a total dweeb huh." said Divo. His cheeks blushed. "Just so ya know, we're only wearing these dweeby outfits on boss's orders." he said. "Also, to answer your question little lady, we all go here. All us guys." Divo stated. "We may look big and mean, and we are. We can totally kick the ass outa any adult, any day. Really though, we're just a bunch of crazy high school cats." he explained. "So, what you doin on the floor? You wasted or somthin?" Divo asked. A grin spread across his face.

~~

Corrine laughed then stood up, dusting herself off. She wiped her eyes, which were still a bit red from earlier."No, Silly! I fell asleep and took a bit of a nap. I didn't mean to though, I must’ve dozed off. There were some people here as well, but I didn't know who they were. I didn’t say 'hi' or anything." reported Corrine. She eyeballed him, looking up and down at his uniform.

"So, do I have to wear a skirt? If I do can you just sneak me some pants? I hate skirts. I only wear them for parties or if my brothers force me." explained Corrine. She scrunched up her face. The only thing worse than wearing uniforms is wearing skirts with them. Boys would always look up her skirt and tease her about it. It's not like you could wear shorts under them without it being noticeable. That would be even worse!

But her frown quickly turned into a smile. "So, does this mean I get to hang out with you?! Like, during breaks or something?!" Corrine asked excitedly. She naively thought that she had a friend to hang out with in school..

~~

"You're one wild cat. Falling asleep in a public place. Right in front of the New Royals to boot. Wait til the fellas hear about this." said Divo. He was confounded by Corrines behaviour, but at the same time, kinda impressed. 

Divo brushed his hair back, in an effort to keep up appearances. He felt a strong desire to impress Corrine. "Just in case you're wondering where the other guys are. Switch was in detention for sneaking into the girls locker room and perving on em, again." Divo explained. "And Rolo, the big fella, he's with the boss. You know somethins goin down when they're tight." Divo continued. 

The ever masculine Divo completely ignored Corrines query about school attire. He considered the subject much too girly for his tastes. 

"So, uhh you said somethin about hangin out?" Divo asked.

~~

Corrine nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Let’s hang out! I mean, who else am I going to hang out with? I'm the new kid. It's gonna go two ways." She started. She knew how her old school was. It looked like it'll be a similar scenario.

"Either people are going to like me, or people are going to treat me like garbage. I've noticed this school is pretty cliquey, and I probably won’t fit in anywhere. So, why not stay with you? Someone who knows me! I hate being alone so I'm just going to stay with you. OK? OK!" she pleaded desperately, not letting him have a say. She smiled a bit too proudly. It’s almost like she had the whole thing planned out. 

A car horn sounded off in the distance. Corrine turned around and remembered that her brothers were waiting to pick her up to drop her off to work. 

"Oh dear... My brothers are waiting for me! Well, I'll see you later, Divo! Can't wait for school tomorrow!" she waved at him while he ran back to her brothers' car, running through the Royal's hang out place and dashing away.

~~

"But hey, Corrine…." Divo began. He sighed to himself. Corrinne was in too much of a hurry to listen to him. Divo let out a sigh of slight frustration.

Divo felt kinda uncomfortable when Corrine voiced her assumption. She was a sweet kid and a pretty girl. He really didn't want to break the news to her. He worried that Corrine wouldn't take it very well. Rules were rules after all. Even amongst outlaws. Maybe Corrine could pull through and make it, but only time would tell. 

Divo himself remembered all too clearly what it was like being the new kid, especially in a school like Salt Bay High. He remembered meeting Switch and Rolo for the first time. How they introduced him to the Salt Bay Turbos. How they made him go through the Salt Bay Turbo initiation challenges. Those weren't fun times. But it was times like these that people needed friends the most. Sadly though, it took more than just being friends for one to be allowed to hang with the Salt Bay Turbos. He didn't want to tell Corrine the bad news but neither did he want Corrine to go through what he had to. In order to protect Corrine, he and his friends would have to hurt her, before completely accepting her as one of their own. With such a prospect at hand, Divo felt conflicted.

~~

Corrine sat in the backseat, singing along to the radio. Charlie was humming while Lenny stayed silent. He parked the car near the diner then turned around to face Corrine. 

"Kiddo, listen..." Lenny started. He knew Corrine was a sweet girl, so he'll have to tell her gently. "I know how you can get when you’re at a new school. You get very excited and you may come off as.. oh what’s the word..."

"What your brother is trying to say is not to get ahead of yourself and try not get into trouble. Focus on your studies, ok?” Lenny butted in, finishing his brother's statement. 

He was right. Corrine did get into a lot of trouble. Especially when it came to the wrong type of people. Before they moved, Antonio had to step in a lot and take care of her little mishaps. She caused him an endless amount of headaches.

Corrine stared blankly at her brothers, then smiled sweetly. "Ok, I won’t. I promise I’ll try my best." She lied. Of course she didn’t intend to keep her promise. She lived for trouble! She already had a plan brewing in her head. 

"Do you want to go back home and get ready for school tomorrow? I won’t force you to work if you have some stuff to do." asked Lenny. 

"Yes please." She replied quickly. 

Charlie got out of the car then headed into the diner while Lenny drove Corrine back home. All the while Corinne pondered whether she should sew a new pair of pants or not.

As they reached the house, Corrine immediately ran up to her room then locked her door. She squealed with excitement for tomorrow. She pulled out her sewing kit then started making her pants for school. But because her skills were lacking, it took her all night. The poor thing was exhausted when she looked up at the clock. It read eleven thirty. But at least she was ready for tomorrow!

Right?


	5. Chapter 4

Corrine groaned as she walked out of her chemistry class. She's definitely not going to get an 'A' this time. Maybe a 'B' if she's lucky. It was freetime so she was able to hang around for a little before class started up again. Corinne pondered what to do. She could try to find Rolo, but she didn't wish to make things worse. 

Before she could ponder any longer, she felt a low growl in her stomach. She didn’t eat breakfast this morning. She just went straight to the beach. At least she packed a lunch. She could nibble on that to hold her over. The only conundrum left was where to sit.

All of a sudden it came to her. By the tulips would be great! No one she knew sat there and she was pretty sure no one hung out there anyway. She went to her locker, grabbed her lunch, and then ran over to the tulip garden. She looked to see if anyone was around. Corinne sighed before she plopped herself down on the grass. She finally had some free time.

Corinne took a bite of her sandwich before she turned to the tulips. She soon found that she had lost her appetite. If only they’d planted different flowers. She put her sandwich away for later then laid herself down on her back. Her thoughts wandered to what was most pressing on her mind. She couldn't for the life of her find out why Rolo ran away. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt.

Corinne considered having a chat with Rolo, possibly about their awkward little incident in the hallway. That’s assuming she could even find him of course. For now, she decided to relax. She conceded that it wasn’t worth getting too worried before class. Corinne closed her eyes before she dozed off once again.

~~

"So Chet, I suppose you have good reason to call on me uninvited?" Charles asked. His words expressed annoyance yet his voice expressed smugness mixed with condescension. It was almost like he enjoyed being interrupted. Any excuse to act both indignant and important, Charles took at every opportunity.

"It's not because of your scented fragrances or your fine grooming, I can tell ya that much." answered Chet.

"I'll have you know I'm wearing Yolanda St. Pierre. It's all the rage in France right now. Not that I'd expect you to understand." explained Charles.

"Look fancy boy! The only French things I care about are French fries and breaking my French foot off in your ass!" countered Chet.

"Oh! You're French!?" Charles asked.

"What!? No!" exclaimed Chet.

"Of course not. What with your inappropriate aggression. I'm not someone you'd want to mess with. Perhaps you need a reminder? I know all too well how slow your kind is." threatened Charles.

"Well that goes double for me! Outside your mansion, little fruity boy, you're on my turf." Chet threatened back.

"Look Chet. I know you have to play the part of the tough guy, but please calm down. We're friends after all. Now tell me, how can I be of assistance?" placated Charles.

"That's better. We gotta talk." said Chet.

"By all means, fire away!" Charles replied.

Chet then began to present his counter offer. Even though it was a long shot, he was confident that Charles would find it more than a little agreeable.

~~

Corrine sighed as she looked at the tulips. She assumed the school had decided to plant them last minute in order to gain more sponsors. Pretty schools brought in mucho dinero, at least that's what she heard from a lot of the other people who walked the halls. One of the bright bulbs caught her eye, for it was a darker shade of fuchsia compared to the hot pink flowers. 'Mom would've loved to see these..' the curly haired junior thought to herself. Her mother was a gardener, therefore she always had flowers in or around the house. Whether they were flowers she bought from the store, or from her home country, she had them. Her father even brought some back from his travels, which she put out in the garden so they would have more space to grow and flourish. But alas, their sweet scent brought only sorrow to the junior.

She then stood up. Corinne decided that she would head into her literature class, one of the few classes she actually liked, besides band of course. The curly haired junior walked through the wide halls of Salt Bay High. Along the way she listened to the various conversations about the latest trends, the scores from last nights football game or whatever else was current within the school. She reached the classroom in a surprisingly short amount of time, considering that her short build wasn't exactly made for walking very fast.

~~

"....and if we take that into account. We can interpret Raskolnikovs experiences as a metaphor for the struggles of the working class. For you see..." droned Mrs. Flaherty.

Chet's attention span waxed and waned throughout the literature teachers less than passionate presentation of classical Russian literature. He had no idea who this Fyodor Dostoyevski guy was nor what his book was really about, but Chet was damn sure that Mr. Dostoyevski deserved better than to be droned about by some ancient wrinkly manatee. Though he did appreciate Raskolnikovs struggle as a brilliant man forced into a life of mediocrity by lame circumstances. A struggle that Chet himself identified with. 

Just like Rolo, Chet also possessed an embarrassing secret. He actually liked reading these seemingly boring and depressing books written by miserable old men who whiled away the remaining years of their lives high on absinthe. The crushingly brutal honesty of such works really resonated with Chet, for he didn't exactly live through the most pleasant of childhoods. As a leader of the baddest gang around, he had to have something to look up to. Someone to learn from. Especially those who weren't afraid to speak the truth. Those who understood what it meant to bear the burden of leadership at all times. 

Needless to say, Chet didn't take literature class seriously. Though surprisingly, his literature assignments had decent grades. A fact that infuriated Mrs. Flaherty to no end. Especially after all those times she had to reprimand and discipline Chet and his three friends. Always talked during class they did. Always passing notes and throwing scrunched up pieces of paper around. This year though, she had those four split up. Each to the opposite ends of the classroom. But this only served to intensify their bad behaviour, much to her dismay.

Some kid next to Chet handed him a note. "Thanks chief." said Chet.

Chet had to be careful when opening notes, for he was stationed at the front of the class. He opened up the note with expertly trained stealth and deviousness. He was intrigued by its contents. Divo never had a problem before. He was always the straight laced one of his closest friends. Apparently, it had something to do with that girl that Rolo was obsessed with. Juicy gossip was Chet's forte. It was his business to know all the goings on in his gang after all.

Another note was passed to Chet from the back of the class. "Thanks darlin." said he. Sealing his gratitude with a wink was always a hit with the ladies. The girl swooned visibly yet inaudibly. A daily occurrence for Chet in the classroom.

The handwriting was unmistakable. He wanted to swing by the local chicken joint after school, again. Classic Rolo.

Snickering could be heard near the back of the class. 

"Quiet down you scoundrels!" yelled Mrs. Flaherty.

"Sorry miss." replied Rolo.

"Yeah, sorry." said Switch.

"Hmmph. As I was saying. The relationship between the protagonist and...." she droned on.

All of a sudden, the door of the classroom burst open. There standing in the doorway, was a short and rather cute looking girl. She had poofy hair and what looked like wild eyes.

"You're late." said Mrs. Flaherty.

 

~~

Corrine panted softly. She fixed her hair and had calmed down a bit. The can feel the stares of the other classmates give her a chill down her spine. She had never been late to class before. But it wasn't her fault. It was her first day of school, albeit in the middle of the week, and she had no idea where to go! One of the staff members was kind enough to give her a map of the school, but it was covered in the notes and scribbles Corrine had put on it.

Corrine gulped then bowed deeply. 

"I-I'm very sorry for interrupting class! I promise it won't happen again Miss... Miss…” Corrine took out the sheet of paper alongside her reading glasses, then looked for the teacher's name. "Mrs. Flaherty! I apologize. I'm new here and I had gotten lost on the way. Please forgive my tardiness!" Her face burns red as she could hear some of the students chuckle at her outburst. The look on Mrs. Flaherty's face was that of a displeased mother. 

"I'll be taking my seat now..." Corrine's voice was much softer than her usual bubbly self. She quickly took an empty seat an the back of the classroom. Luckily, it was one of her favorite spots. It was somewhat near the window, had an ok view of the chalk board, and she got to see what was going on between the students from the back. 

Her heart pounded hard and fast, ready to burst out of her chest. How could she have done something so embarrassing? She was never late for anything, especially class! Her face grew more and more red. Thinking about it wasn't helping. She buried her face in her thick, curly hair, hoping to suffocate herself to keep her from the shame. Corinne was deeply worried about the impression she made on her classmates. She desperately hoped that none of her peers felt negatively about her.  
~~

A sweet dream manifested itself in the real world. Like a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dull grey classroom. For Rolo, 'twas like a sign from above. That fate had ordained that the two shall be thrown together again and again. For the universe could only ever reach balance and alignment if they were to join as one. A union to be heralded throughout the ages. Ballads would be made about their story, and sung by the greatest of bards. On the courts of kings emperors alike. A love that blooms in the darkest of times, and brightens the darkest of lives.

Rolo stared at Corrine as she walked into the classroom. She walked past his desk. Passing him like he wasn't even there. It wasn't very difficult to notice Rolo, even in a crowd. But it seemed like he was completely invisible to her.

As the class progressed, Rolo couldn't help but steal the occasional glance at her. For someone so sweet to love someone such as he. Rolo pondered how such a thing could be. Giggling could be heard yet again from near the front of the class. It was barely stifled yet its volume rose steadily.

"Do you find the suffering of the lower classes amusing young man!?" asked Mrs. Laherty indignantly. 

"Uhh no miss." answered Divo.

"Give me that note!" demanded the teacher.

"Hey!" exclaimed Divo as the old manatee snatched the note from his hand.

"Check out the little cookie who came late to class. I wouldn't mind coating her with my frosting." read the literature teacher.

The class erupted into a sea of raucous laughter. Rolo noticed that Corrine started to look very uncomfortable. The amount of guilt and anger he felt began to boil over into a foam of violent rage. Rolos face was so tense that he looked like he was about to break his desk in two.

"Shut the hell up you squares! Or I swear I'll shove my fist up all your asses!" thundered Rolo.

The laughter switched off like a light. Nobody messed with Rolo.

"My word!" exclaimed Mrs. Flaherty.

She considered sending Rolo to the principles office but she ultimately decided against it. She was secretly impressed with the authority the large student exercised over the others. 

 

~~

Shocked. That's the only word to describe how Corrine felt. Shocked. She looked up from her ringlets to hear a familiar voice. The curly haired girl knew that voice from a mile away. It was Rolo again! She had been meeting with him quite often. This had to be a coincidence, right? Except he didn't seem as sweet as he was before. In fact, he seemed pretty terrifying. His loud, booming voice was enough to make her heart skip a beat. She could feel her body shudder. But it certainly didn't help the swelling embarrassment she had inside her.

She could feel hot tears form at the corner of her eyes and how they stung as they slowly slid down her face. She quickly covered her face with her hair once more; This time, covering her whole face. If she didn't make a sound, maybe no one would notice her. Oh, how she wished the class would end so she could wallow in a hole. Or maybe she could jump out of the window quickly to save her from the shame.

She quickly took out a book to distract her from her dark thoughts. It was nothing that they were learning in class, but one of her personal books. Something to help calm herself while the class was busy getting bored to death with the lesson at hand. She scanned through the pages, but it was no use.

Corinne wished that the day would end already so as to spare her further suffering. She wallowed in a mire of melancholy as she pondered the cruelty and fickleness of fate. Her stomach turned in knots as she thought of what might happen next. Corinne couldn’t help but worry about a possible blow to her reputation, especially in a school as cutthroat as as gossipy as Salt Bay High seemed to be.

~~

"Get the hell back up!" roared Rolo. 

It was during lunchtime when Rolo made his displeasure known. He never felt this way before. He never knew he could be so livid with his best friends, but things were different then. Everything had changed, and it was all because of her. Why did she have to waltz into his life like that? Why did she have to make things awkward between himself and his closest friends? Rolo internally agonised over these questions. Everything was so much simpler before, but no longer. It was plain to see that there was no going back from those punches. It was done. For better or worse, things would never be the same again. 

Switch and Divo were sprawled on the ground in the middle of the football field. A large crowd had gathered around to watch the internal drama of the Salt Bay Turbos unfold before their very eyes. Such a thing was not a very common occurrence. Rolo loomed over them looking both grim and menacing.

They picked themselves up from the ground then faced Rolo directly. They looked up into his face. A fierce stare met their gaze.

"Look big guy. You can hit us all day if you want. But we won't fight back. We're friends. No! To hell with that! We're brothers!" yelled Divo.

"But we won't apologise for nothin. We're outlaws. We do what we want, we say what we want. Ain't no little broad ever gonna get in the way of that!" yelled Swtich.

"Shut the hell up! She's special to me!" Rolo roared.

"You're letting this little chick change you! You're gonna end up putting her before us!" yelled Divo.

"Yeah! Whatever happened to brothers for life!?" yelled Switch.

"I uh, shut up!" Rolo yelled again. 

Rolo brought his fist up again to strike, but then he saw it. The steely determination in the eyes of his friends. He knew that they wouldn't dodge his punch, no matter how hard he would hit. They were his best friends in the world. Brothers for life. 

He suddenly felt an extreme amount of shame for his actions. Rolo never regretted punching people before. But this time, it was different.

"Fellas I, I..." Rolo started to say before he was cut off.

"Alright boys break it up! I will not have any roughhousing in my school!" declared principal Stern. 

"But sir, they were just..." Chet began to say before he too was cut off.

"I don't want to hear it!" yelled principal Stern. 

"You three! Principals office! Now!" demanded the principal.

Rolo, Chet, and Divo wordlessly followed the principal to his office. Not caring in the slightest about how much their reputation had been compromised. 

Chet shook his head to himself. What was happening to his crew? Who was this girl that Rolo was obsessed with? It was that girl from literature class, the one that came late. The one whom Switchs note was referring to. Chet decided to go check her out later on. To see what all the fuss was about.

A little further away, Charles watched everything unfold. He grinned smugly to himself. His plan was going to be a heck of a lot easier than he thought it would be. Perhaps, Charles thought, he owed this mysterious girl his gratitude. She was doing him a great service. When the time is right, he decided.

~~

Corrine was sitting outside of the cafeteria on one of the steel benches. She ate her tea sandwich slowly as she read a raunchy novel she took from her brother, Oliver. She laughed at the cliché plot; a vampire falls in love with a human, but their love is forbidden. The book is horrible but the lines of dialogue are hilarious! The sex scenes are awful and full of lewd and gross innuendoes to censor the sex scenes somewhat. 

A rather large group of students walked back, conversing about a fight that nearly happened. Corrine decided to ignore them before she continued reading her book. The longer she ignored the rambling, the louder everyone became. The unbearable noise was maddening! If only the world could stay quiet for just a little bit she could finish her book! She growled to herself, begging for everyone to disappear.

But of course, not all wishes came true.

She slammed her book shut, put everything away in her backpack, and marched over to the crowd for a good explanation for the commotion. She tapped, rather violently, on the shoulder of someone who was much taller than her.

"Excuse me! Could you please tell me what's going on. I can't concentrate with all this racket!" Corrine asked inquisitively. She pouted as she pushed up her reading glasses up on her nose before she placed a hand on her hip. Her book was tightly clenched in the other hand. Her face bore a look of annoyance that few people took seriously. She looked cute instead of threatening. Or at least somewhat scary.

~~

Charles felt a rather rapid and annoying tapping on his right shoulder. He turned around and saw an equally annoying girl behind him. Quite the little pocket rocket she was. This one seemed like a real troublemaker. Nobody in the school, save for Chet, was brazen enough to approach him like that. 

"Excuse me but who are you?" asked Charles.

Before one of his sycophants could launch an insult Charles silenced him with a simple hand gesture. He wished to know what this little person had to say for herself.

~~

Corrine could feel her face become hot. How rude! You can't answer a question with another question.

"Well, if you must know..." she started. "My name is Corrine. I'm the new girl here. Today is my first day. Nice to meet you." She flashed a cute smile before she continued her little rant. "It's too noisy here and I want to read my book in peace. But everybody keeps talking about the same thing. Something that happened on the football field, I believe. Could you tell me what happened? Pretty please?" asked Corrine.

This person didn't seem like a very warm or welcoming friend, but she'll take what she can get. He didn't give her the cold shoulder either, so he must be somewhat decent, right?

~~

Charles narrowed his eyes slightly. This girl was much more annoying than he thought. He really didn't like annoying people. Especially if they're as brazen as this. Though it seemed to Charles that this was the kinda girl who got herself into trouble on a regular basis. A possible pawn perhaps? If she's as wilful as she is ignorant then perhaps she very well may be. He decided that a little test was in order. Charles flashed his most charming smile.

"My name is Charles Lansaster III. Heir to the Lancaster oil fortune. You really must be new to this school if you don't know who I am. Pleased to make your acquaintance miss Corrine." he said.

He let his introduction sink in before continuing.

"Don't pay any mind to all that commotion. There were just a bunch of ruffians being as crass as ever. I'm sure you're savvy enough to not let yourself fall in with such a crowd." Charles commented. He flashed Corrine both a wink and a smile this time.

~~

"Well, now, you sound important. Pardon me for not knowing. Pleasure to meet you." she replied. A sprinkle of sarcasm was hidden in her response. Corrine rolled her eyes at his words. So he was one of those types. One who thinks the world revolves around them and them alone.

"Oh, I know I shouldn't be getting into this stuff, but I would like to at least know what's going on. I hate being in the dark. It's fine if you don't want to tell me. I can take a hint. I'll just go elsewhere." 

She brushes the subject off. Why did he have to be so difficult? He was just like Lenny, always sugar coating things that didn't need any sugar coating. If he won't be useful she'll just find someone else to ask. Someone who could give her a straight answer.

"Sorry for taking up your time. I didn't mean to bother you so much." placated Corinne.

 

~~

As impudent as ever. Charles could respect that, but that didn't stop him from being annoyed. Who did this girl think she was anyway!? Though she did look familiar. Yes, he definitely recognised her now. A wicked smile spread across his face.

"Yes, I remember now. I've seen you around before little missy. By the tulip garden I believe." said Charles. The moment just before the predator caught his prey. He loved to savour those moments. 

Before another word could be said, Chet swooped in and wrapped his right arm around Corrine. 

"You must be mistaken Charles. This is Corrines first day here at Salt Bay High. She's never been here before." he said.

"Oh really? You must be a really important girl miss Corrine. Being close friends with the most infamous band of ruffians in the school. How perchance did this sordid little arrangement come to be anyway?" Charles asked.

"Childhood friend, now if you'll excuse me Charles we have to go. We're in a hurry. Thanks pal." Chet said hurriedly.

"Hmm" Charles said to go himself. He watched closely as Chet carted Corrine off around the corner. 

"Let's go, it's starting to smell around here.” Charles said to his band of sycophants. They marched off as if they were a unit in the military.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Chet whispered loudly to Corrine. "Do you have any idea who that guy was!?" he asked.

~~

What in the world just happened? she thought to herself. One minute she's talking to a rich boy named Charles and the next minute she got dragged away by... who was this guy anyway? He didn't look to familiar and what was this about childhood friends?

"He said his name was Charles. I was going to ask him what happened on the football field, but you dragged me away. Who are you anyway? I don't recognize you at all." She asked. An explanation was in order. He seemed very stressed. Did she do something wrong?

"Um... what's the big deal? Why are you so upset? I didn't hurt anyone, did I?" enquired Corinne.

~~

"Look, all you need to know is that if you want to have a social life, you shouldn't cross that guy." warned Chet. "All I can say is that something big is gonna go down in this school. It would be safer to just lay low for a while, at least until the dust settles." Chet explained. 

"So, you're the girl from literature class who's been stirring my friends up. Ya know Rolo is crazy about you right?" Chet asked.

~~

Corrine looked down at her shoes. Her first day of school and everything is already a mess. She couldn't help but feel like it was her fault. She nodded and obeyed what her peer had to offer. She didn't want to become an outcast just for saying 'hi' to someone.

After she somewhat tuned him out, one sentence seemed to have brought her back from her reverie. Her head perked up then cocked to her left, confused. What did he mean Rolo liked her? That couldn't be true! 

"What? What are you even talking about? Rolo can't like me; he probably likes someone else. Someone prettier, maybe less bland than I am.” said Corinne meekly. 

"Listen, I'm sorry for rustling everything up," she placated. "But I have no idea what's even going on anymore. I'm just going to try my best to go about my day and pretend like nothing happened."

~~

"Well I don't know about that” replied Chet. He gave a little chuckle before continuing his explanation. 

“You didn't hear it from me but the big guy can be kinda shy, so he doesn't talk to girls very often. He has a soft spot for the sweet and innocent ones though. Rough breakup last year. Darn it I said too much. explained Chet. 

"To tell ya the truth Corrine, nobody in this school knows what's going on anymore. That's why it's a good idea to lay low, at least for a little while." Chet confessed. 

He hoped that he was being a good wingman for Rolo. Despite Switch and Divos skepticism, he believed this possible relationship could work. The big guy deserved something nice every once in awhile.

~~

Corrine blushed slightly. Oh dear, she thought to herself. I'd better watch what I say. 

"Poor, Rolo. I didn't know. I feel really bad now..." she shook her head then smiled. "Nope! You have to focus on positive things! Like, trying to fix what's going on little by little! And making everyone feel better!" Corinne declared. She tried to brighten the mood, even if it's just a bit.

"I'm sure everything will work out in the end! It always does, right? I'm pretty sure we'll all laugh about this later!" she stated. Corinne gave a fake laugh. This must be stressful for the gang. The school seemed to take status very seriously. One minor flop could ruin you forever.

~~

"That's the spirit!" exclaimed Chet. 

He released Corrine from his right arm then turned to face her directly. 

"The name's Chet. Leader of the Salt Bay Turbos. You might've heard of us." he stated. 

"I take it Rolo has invited you to our little shindig this Saturday?" Chet asked.

~~

Corrine nodded enthusiastically. 

"Oh, yes! He has! Oh dear, that's coming up fast isn't it? I can't wait to go! Although I'm not a very social person. I can't dance very well either." she confessed.

She smiled sheepishly. No amount of dance lessons could ever teach her how to properly dance. She was hopeless.

"So, Chet, was it? Sorry for causing so much trouble between you guys. I didn't mean to. I feel like I've made a mess of things."

~~

"Nah it's nothin’." Chet said cheerfully.

"And none of that stuff matters anyway. Just rock up, meet some cool people, then chill. Or you could, ya know." suggested Chet. The wink he gave Corrine made it plainly clear what he was suggesting.

"Now I gotta go check on the rest of my crew." Chet said as he backed away.

He then turned around then started walking away.

"Stay cool Corrine. And remember what I said!" reminded Chet. 

He put his hand up and waved without turning around. He then disappeared around the right hand corner.

~~

Corrine waved back as she grumbled quietly to herself. Let's hope he wasn't insinuating something raunchy. Before she could say anything, the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. She picked up her bag then headed off to her last two classes, math and history. It was going to be a long day.

She walked through the hallways with her little map in hand. It looked like she'll be going up and down stairs for the rest of the day. Her little legs could barely allow her to walk with haste, much less up a set of stairs. By the time she reached the top she was nearly out of breath.

While she surveyed her surroundings she discovered her history class, which happened to be situated right next to her on the far left. Lucky her! The ambient noise of student chatter filled the air minutes before the bell rang. The teacher stood up from his chair and glared daggers at his students. Some were still engaged in their respective conversations before a quick scolding from the teacher set them straight.

"QUIET! Or you'll all be getting detention!" He shouted. He didn't seem like a friendly man. Corrine thought it was just an off day and that it shouldn't bug her.

He walked around the classroom, handing out what looked to be quizzes. Corrine quietly raised her hand as the teacher handed her a quiz as well.

"Um, sir? Why did I get a quiz? Today is my first day." she asked quietly.

"Oh well, you should've come prepared for class." he replied as he continued to hand out quizzes. What nerve! So not fair! To give out a quiz on their first day was appalling! She grumbled as she tried her best to answer the question. She didn't know any of these at the top of her head! She’d be lucky if she got a 'C'. It was going to be a long period.

 

After an immensely boring lecture about the renaissance era, the bells rang. Corrine had never felt so relieved to hear a bell in her life. Everyone scrambled to get out of the classroom. She walked back down the stairs to her last class of the day: Math. Her worst subject. Without help from her old tutor, she was doomed. 

She walked into the room to see she's the first one there. An old, short woman was reading a romance novel as she waited for class to begin.

"Good Afternoon." Corrine greeted softly. The old woman looked up from her book and smiled warmly. 

"Hello, Miss uh... Miss..." she took a quick glance at her attendance sheet to look for the new student's name. "Miss Corrine, is it? A pleasure to meet you!" She greeted before diving right back to her book. Corrine could feel her heart pound. What a sweet woman! She might actually enjoy math if she stayed sweet like that. A few minutes later, the bell rung and everyone went to their seats


	6. Chapter 5

Ready boys?" asked Chet.

"Yes boss!" replied Rolo excitedly.

"I sure am Chet" affirmed Divo.

"Oh I am so ready for this!" Switch declared gleefully.

"Light em up!" cried Chet.

It was around a quarter past two on a Saturday afternoon. Quite a warm spring day, even for Sea Salt Bay. The four friends stood at the end of the Main Street, right in the middle of the road. It was during one of the few brief moments when traffic was absent. Amongst them stood several motorcycle tyres lined with oil soaked rags. They were about to send a message to the town. Despite the absurdity of what they were about to do, the message they were sending wouldn't be lost on any of the locals. All part of the plan.

The three friends, alongside several other members of their gang, had their lighters at the ready. On Chet's orders, all their tyres were lit ablaze. They each jumped back when their respective tyres were ignited. The heat from them was too much to handle up close. The sight of those rings of fire was enough to intimidate anyone. They worked exactly as intended.

"Into position!" cried Chet.

A unified and spirited roar met his cry. Each of the Salt Bay Turbo members stood behind each of the tyres. A single foot placed on their sides, ready to launch.

"It's getting really hot around here. Hotter than Divos mums bedroom" announced Switch. 

He issued his trademark loud and abrasive hyena laughs. As always, it was accompanied by the laughter of those around him.

"Hey shut up!" shouted Divo. "But yeah, it's getting really hot around here. I don't think I can take it anymore. Could we please just launch now Chet!?" pleaded Divo.

"Shut the hell up you little nub! We'll hold as long as we have to!" yelled Rolo.

It was a few moments later when everyone finally got into position. 

"Launch!" yelled Chet.

Each of the tyres were kicked at exactly the same time. All the tyres rolled down the Main Street in unison. The Salt Bay Turbos roared in triumph.

"Now let's get out of here boys! Before the pigs show up!" announced Chet.

"You don't have to tell me twice" replied Switch.

"We're splitting up then laying low until tonight, right fellas?" asked Rolo. He was absent whilst the stunt was being planned.

"That's right big fella. Now let's split." answered Divo.

All the Salt Bay Turbo members scrambled to their motorcycles then screeched off into different directions. Chet himself stayed until everyone was clear.

"Oh lord! What in heavens is going on!?" some woman nearby exclaimed.

"It's happening again." answered an old man standing nearby.

Damn right it was, Chet thought to himself. This town had no idea what it was in for.

~~

Corrine sat in her room, reading until time passed just a little bit faster. She stole one of the romance novels from Oliver's library and decided to check it out. It was about a vampire who had fallen in love with a human, but they couldn't stay together because the sunlight would kill him. It was such an awful story, Corrine couldn’t fathom how Oliver could stand this stuff.

The only way to make it interesting was to daydream about inserting herself into the characters place. She imagined herself as the woman in the book. She would be an adult of course; Maybe even prettier now that she'd grown up. But, her skin would look slickly and her teeth would be much longer. 

She snuck around the bushes, waiting to catch her prey. She felt the wind rush by her as it ran. They’d have to tire eventually, unlike her. She could almost taste the blood from here. But she needed to pick up the pace. It was nearly dawn.

She heard a loud grunt followed by a thud. They must've fallen! Now was her chance to catch her dinner! She was upon her prey in moments. There was something familiar about them. Slicked back hair, tall, quite large...

It did not matter. She needed food; She was starving! She leaned over her prey and brought her fangs out. She took a quick look at his face and blushed. She could tell that he couldn’t resist her. The boy knew it was the end. 

She hesitated before closing her mouth and moving away. She couldn't do it. He was different from the rest. He didn't persecute her, the way the others did. Neither did he struggle to free himself from her possession. He just accepted his fate.

'Who are you, human?' The vampire asked.

'T-the names...' He replied.

'Hm. Human what have you done to me? Why can't I drink blood from you? Have you cast a spell upon yourself? Did you put a hex on me!?'

'I didn't do anything. I know one thing though; I wanna get the hell outta here!' He declared.

'No, stay! You're different from the rest of them.' She yelled, holding down his shoulders. Her face was flushed red and her heart was pounding. What was wrong with her? Was this love at first sight? She had never wanted to protect a human so much before. She knew it was wrong and maybe even impossible, but it felt right.

She leaned down once again toward his neck. She bore her fangs, just barely touching the boys flesh. It sent chills down her own spine. She gently sunk her teeth in, hoping not to hurt the boy. His blood was intoxicatingly good. So sweet yet so tart. She wanted more. She reluctantly pulled herself away from the human.

The spell the human casted upon her made her feel strange. Her mind was foggy; It became hard to think. She slowly lifted his-

 

Corrine tossed the book onto her bed. What was Oliver reading this time?! Such a lewd story! But why did she imagine Rolo in place of the poor victim? What did that even mean? Ever since she bumped into Rolo on her first day of school her thoughts have been wandering. Her face was red and hot. Imagining those sort of things from a book was lecherous! But he's such a sweet person. And he is pretty cute... Corrine! Get your head out of the gutter! She said to herself. Why was she having these thoughts? 

She stood up and paced back and forth. Why him? Why Rolo? Why did her heart pound whenever she thought of him? Just mentioning his name got her heart a flutter. Every time she thought of him she couldn’t help but smile. 

She plopped down her her bed and sighed with longing. Maybe this was what her brothers were talking about. Maybe she did have a stupid highschool crush. It definitely felt nice to fall in love. Maybe it felt even better to have someone love you back. Well, she was going to ask him about that rumor Chet was talking about. Maybe she could tell Rolo what was happening to her. But that was a bold move. She didn't want to scare him away. 

She took a look at the clock. Just three more hours before she had to leave. But she knew how to pass the time. She picked up the book she tossed then happily continued reading.

~~

"Ya know, Charles may be a wiener but ya gotta hand it to him. The guys got taste." commented Chet.

He wasn't the only one who was impressed with the venue, far from it. The clubhouse had changed noticeably since the last time the gang was there. It was renovated no doubt. Dressed to the nines, so to speak.

"Whoah! There's a dance floor now!?" asked Switch.

The table and chairs in the middle of the room were no longer there. They were replaced by a checkered dance floor. It almost spanned the entire place. No doubt ready for some big parties.

"Can't wait to show the ladies my sweet moves." said Switch.

"What moves? The grope grope? Cuz she be doing the nope nope. Then it's loser city for yal." said Divo.

A few of the other Salt Bay Turbo members had a bit of a laugh. Chet and Rolo merely rolled their eyes. They knew what was coming.

"Oh yeah!? Care to put your money where your mouth is little man!?" Switch challenged.

"Damn right I do, bean sprout." countered Divo.

"Whatever ladies. I'm going to the bar to get away from all this squawking. A maybe get a little hammered. If you'll excuse me." announced Rolo.

"Ha! That's the smartest thing I've heard all week. I'm coming with." said Chet.

Switch and Divo hardly recognised Rolos jab, for they were formulating yet another bet. Or as they like to call it, a "manly rivalry challenge". Chet and Rolo gladly left Switch and Divo to their bickering, boasting, and betting on the dance floor.

The bar to the right of the doors was a dream of carved mahogany, brass, and crystalline glasses. The bar stools themselves were of the same mahogany, topped with leather padded seats. A comfortable place to take a seat and drink your problems away. A far cry from the old plain looking pinewood bar that was there before. No doubt the alcohol selection improved alongside the bar itself. 

"What'll it be fellas?" asked the bartender. A youngish looking guy with a slight faux hawk and Buddy Holly glasses. His red slacks were draped over his black t-shirt as they held up his blue jeans. As hip as hip could be.

"One Red Wood Lager." ordered Rolo.

"You're actually gonna start drinking now big guy? The party’s just started. Most of the guests aren't even here yet, for Christ sake." said Chet.

"So? I can hold my own boss. No need to worry about me." replied Rolo.

"Dude come on. I told you just call me Chet. But yeah, you got a point. I've seen how much you can drink." relented Chet. "This guy drinks as much as an alcoholic rhino." said Chet to the bartender.

"Man, Charles isn't gonna like this. But what do I care." he replied.

"Cool, make that two then." ordered Chet.

"Great, you gentlemen have got excellent taste. Not many people ask for the Red Wood. Underrated brew if I do say so myself." explained the bartender.

"Damn right it is." intoned Rolo.

Chet grinned to himself. This was obviously a trap, but he wasn't gonna fall for it. Chet was way too smart to be a sucker. He could see right through Charles. That guy wasn't that difficult to figure out, or so Chet thought.

A few moments later, two schooners of said lager were served up with very little froth. 

"There you go gents, enjoy." said the bartender.

"Cheers" thanked Chet.

Most of the guests should arrive by the end of the hour. The cool kids liked to be fashionably late of course. Despite the obvious trap, Chet couldn't help but feel that this whole thing was gonna be a blast. 

The curtains parted at the back of the miniature stage. There stood a band which consisted of a female lead singer and three other guys. They promptly began to play their music.. No doubt the swinging jazzy number turned out to be a hit with the partygoers. A few wolf whistles and an oww sound were issued as a sign of admiration. One of those was unmistakably Switch. No doubt he admired the lead singer more than the music itself. Who could blame the guy really. The only thing hotter that foxy lady was her music.

"Cool band." remarked Chet.

"Charles spares no expense." replied the bartender.

Rolo nodded gleefully to the music. His thoughts were finally free of Corrine, if only for a moment.

~~

Corrine had finished the book she stole from Olivers library. Oh, what a horrible tale of romance with a side of extra cheese. One more look at the clock signaled her to head off. She put on her clothes she had laid out, grabbed some seashells to prove her fake story, then slipped outside before anyone could say anything. She hated lying to her brothers, but it was the only way to get to that party.

She tightly held onto her bag as she walked through a particularly not-so-nice neighborhood. It was the shortest way possible to the clubhouse without the risk of being seen by her brothers. The neighborhood was bad news. Most of the houses looked like they haven't been taken care of in a very long time. Their lawns were gold instead of green, some littered with garbage. Oh these poor people, the thought to herself. She felt like something was following her so she decided to get out of there, fast. Her walk went from a jog, to a run, to a sprint. 

She ran and ran until she spotted a hill. She new she was going in the right direction! Just around that hill should be the club house. A few minutes up and down the hill and she was right, there it was! She quietly walked to the door hearing music come from the inside. 

"Maybe I should've dressed a bit nicer..." Corrine said to herself. But it was too late now.

She slipped through the door, hoping no one would notice her. Her father said making a grand entrance to a party that wasn't hosted by you was impolite. Of course, she followed those rules respectively. She snuck to a corner of the clubhouse and let down her hair to make herself look a little nicer. She admired the clubhouse for a bit. Whomever decorated the place had good taste. A bar, a dance floor, and a little stage? Oo la la!

She hummed along to the song. The audience was hollering at the woman singing. Corrine rolled her eyes. Such boys.

As she continued to sing she noticed a familiar face and immediately shut up. There he was, already drinking and the party had barely begun. He'd get drunk before anyone else would. Should she go over there and stop him? What if she said something stupid? She should at least greet him and make her presence known.

She slowly walked over to him and covered his eyes with her hands, giggling all the while. 

"He,he,he... guess who it is!" she asked, doing a bad job of holding in her laughter.

~~

"Wha!? What the!?" Rolo blurted out, clearly startled.

Chet grabbed Corrine around the waist and pulled her back a couple of feet. She would've been clobbered by Rolos flailing arms if he hadn't done so. Rolo flailed his arms around wildly like a madman. He then spun around on the top of his barstool. A passing observer would've thought that Rolo was being attacked by ghosts. As far as Rolo was concerned, he was. 

Rolo then opened his eyes, he couldn't believe what he saw. His jaw literally dropped.

"You shouldn't sneak up on the big fella like that Corrine. He startles easy." warned Chet.

"Oh uhh, sorry C-c-Corrine. Did I hurt you?" Rolo stammered.

"You most certainly did not." replied Chet. 

If it wasn't for Chet though, Rolo so would've hurt Corrine. But Chet felt that not calling attention to that would've be the classy thing to do. He didn't want to humiliate Rolo in front of his crush anymore than he already had. 

"Your beer wasn't so lucky dude. There wasn't much left so ya know." stated Chet.

During his wild flailing, Rolo knocked his schooner of beer over. There was only one eighth of a glass left so the spill was small. It only left a little puddle on the bar. The bartender himself took out a rag and quickly wiped it up, sighing to himself.

"Oh" replied Rolo. colour was clearly starting to show on his cheeks.

"Don't sweat it brother!" placated Chet.

"Yeah dude. You're like one of my cleaner, more classier patrons. You have no idea the amount of shit I have to put up with as a bartender. But it's all worth it. Good music, good people." he interjected.

"See? It's all good." placated Chet further.

"Oh, uh ok." replied Rolo.

"Doesn't Corrine look amazing tonight!?" Chet interjected.

"You're damn right she does boss." replied Rolo enthusiastically.

"Simply stunning." intoned the bartender.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone." said Chet. 

He gave them a wink before leaving Rolo and Corrine at the bar. Chet quickly found a rather nice looking girl in a white dancing dress covered in red polka dots. By the looks of things, they were gonna cut the rug in more ways than one.

"So little lady. What'll you have?" asked the bartender.

 

~

"Oh, I'm sorry Rolo. I didn't mean to scare you that badly. I thought I would just surprise you." she giggled as Chet set her down. She felt a little bad for scaring the poor guy, but it was funny to watch him flail around.

Her cheeks blushed at the barrage of compliments she got. Rolo thought she looked pretty? She didn't look that nice, did she? It wasn't anything fancy and she never puts makeup on. It made her face itch like crazy. But she'll take a compliment any day, no matter what.

"T-Thank you. I-I, uh..." She was at a loss for words until Chet left. What did he mean by that?!

"Chet, what in the world are you-?!" but he was already off chatting up a girl he had found. She pouted and stamped her foot. How rude! You can't walk away when someone is talking to you! She muttered to herself until the bartender caught her attention.

"Drinks? Oh, that's a good question. I don't drink alcohol very much so I don't really know." she replied before taking a seat next to Rolo.

"The only drinks I've had is the champagne from New Years and Daddy's beer on his birthday. I only get a little sip because Daddy is afraid I'll get addicted.” She giggled sheepishly. Her cheeks were still red from the compliments; especially Rolo's.

"If you have anything sweet, I'll take it." she added.

~~

"Well little lady, you're just about the sweetest thing here." replied the bartender. 

"You don't drink Corrine? Well I'm not gonna drink to!" announced Rolo.

"Yeah that'll be the day." joked the bartender.

"What was that!?" asked Rolo.

"Umm I said uhh, what!? No way! How noble. This guys a real knight in shining armour little miss." commented the bartender.

"Well, only to Corrine he he." stated Rolo shyly.

"Wow, just wow. Two pints of pub squash, comin right up!" announced the bartender.

~~

"Oh Rolo, you don't have to do that for me! You can go ahead and drink all you want! I won't be offended, honest." offered Corrine.

She gave one of her signature cute smiles and blushed slightly at his nice gesture.

"Well, that was real sweet of you... but don't let me ruin your fun!”

~~

"You're all the fun I need Corrine baby." replied Rolo.

Her smile, there was something about it. Sparks flew and colours dazzled every time he saw it. Like a cacophony of melody from a song long forgotten but missed fondly. Rolo never felt this way about a girl before. He thought he did once, but she turned out to be the very last thing Rolo needed in his life. But Corrine was different, Rolo was sure of it.

An awkward silence took place between them for what felt like an eternity. Rolo was way too shy to say anything further, in the hopes of not spooking Corrine. Although he did try to give her an endearing smile. He hoped against hope that Corrine would say something nice.

 

~~

Corrine sighed. "Rolo, why are you always so sweet to me? I feel like I don't deserve any of it. Always being so nice, complimenting me...Why do you do it?" she looked down at her lap as her face grew more and more red.

She tried asking in as subtle way as possible. Chet said something the other day about Rolo and she wanted to make sure it was true. Maybe he was just a nice person, or maybe he really did like her. There was only one way to find out!

~~ 

"Corrine, it's just that I err, It's just that I..." Rolo stammered.

"Two pub squashes!" announced the bartender. Unknowingly cutting Rolo off in mid sentence.

"One for the lord of the manor." He said handing one of the glasses of pub squash to Rolo.

"And one for his lady." The bartender continued as he handed the other glass to Corrine.

"Enjoy! And good luck." said the bartender. 

"Thanks man." replied Rolo.

 

~~

Corrine jumped as the glass was placed in front of her.

"O-oh my, thank you!" she said, trying to be polite. What perfect timing, Corinne thought sardonically. Oh well, she'll just have to ask again.

"Hey, Rolo. What's a 'Pub squash?' Does it have alcohol?" She cocked her head to the left. She'd never been one for drinks, so she was learning quite a lot.

~~

Rolo let out a sigh of relief. A distraction and a change of conversation was what he felt he needed at the moment. Even amongst people he held most dear, Rolo had a difficult time expressing his fondness of others. It took him a little time to find the right words.

"Well Corrine. A pub squash is a lemon flavoured soda. Don't confuse it with lemonade. It tastes different. It's my favourite." Rolo said gleefully.

He then picked up his glass. It felt cool and moist to the touch. The bright yellow colour mixed with ice cubes and accompanied by a cocktail umbrella made for a particularly cheerful looking drink. 

"Cheers." said Rolo while holding his drink out to Corrine.

~~

"Cheers!" She took her glass and gently touched it against his, making a small 'clink!'. She took a small sip and her face lit up. 

"Mm~ I like it! It looks really cute too!" She took another sip, then a gulp, then finishes off the drink. She realizes that she finished the drink in one go.

"Oh... oops." Her face turned pink with embarrassment. "I can see why you like it!" She took an ice cube and munched on it.

~~

"He he, yeah." replied Rolo. 

It made Rolo truly happy, knowing that Corrine enjoyed his favourite non-alcoholic beverage. He remembered how he'd always have either a glass or a can whenever he felt blue. It never failed to brighten his mood. It reminded him of happier times. Now the drink could could hold yet another pleasant memory, thanks to Corrine.

The band finished their song. Their performance was met with raucous applause and wolf whistles. The lead singer herself beamed with joy. The whole band genuinely enjoyed their gig so far.

They then began to play yet another one of their jazzy numbers. 

Rolo nodded along to the song, clearly enjoying himself.


	7. Chapter 6

"The audience seems to really like them. Her voice is really pretty." she swooned a bit at the girl on stage. "I wish I could sing like that."

She took another piece of ice and munched on it softly. She felt a bit jealous of the singer. Singing is much more useful than playing the piano. Everyone can enjoy a beautiful voice from anywhere. You can't drag a piano with you. She pouted and made herself upset.

~~

"What's wrong Corrine?" Rolo asked.

He noticed that Corrine was clearly upset. At what, Rolo knew not. Was it something he said? Was it something he did? Was it something she heard!? Rolo started to panic internally. He began to look visibly anxious. Fortunately for the love struck duo, the bartender saw the signs. As both a bartender and a gentleman, he felt obligated to lend a helping hand whenever possible.

"Psst, ask her for a dance." the bartender whispered into Rolos ear.

"But I don't know how to dance!” Rolo whispered back.

"Who cares! Go for it chumly. Trust me, she'll love it." encouraged the bartender.

Rolo took yet another look over at Corrine. Her sulky and pouty face was not a good sign. Even Rolo could see that. He had to do something, even if it meant potentially making a fool of himself in front of the fellas. But who dared mess with him? 

"Alright, I'll give it a shot." Rolo whispered back.

"Corrine, uhh would you like a dance?" Rolo asked sheepishly.

 

~~

Corrine looked up at Rolo. Her heart melted at his kind gesture. 

"Oh, Rolo that's so sweet of you! I'd love to!" She smiled nervously.

"B-but uh... I um... I can't dance..." She looked down at her feet and frowned. She forced herself to tell the truth She didn't want to disappoint the poor guy, but she also didn't want to make a fool of herself. Last time she did, she hurt her ankle and her brothers had to carry her home. 

"I'm sorry..."

~~

Rolo felt crushed by Corrines refusal to dance with him. At the same time though, he felt glad to know that it was because she couldn't dance either. But Rolo knew that he couldn't sit at the bar all night, languishing in his awkward, almost tragic date, whilst being judged by that smarmy bartender. He felt like such a square. Rolo knew he had to man up if he wanted a good night with Corrine.

"Ya know what? I can't dance either. But I don't think it matters really. As long as we're having a good time. Who knows, maybe we could get a good story out of it. Maybe a few laughs. What do you say?" said Rolo rather passionately.

He couldn't remember the last time he encouraged someone like that. It felt good. Rolo only hoped that his words would get through to Corrine.

~~

 

Corrine smiled and laughed. She couldn't say no to encouragement like that!

"Ok, Ok! You win! I'll dance with you. But don't be surprised if I step on your feet." She got up from her chair and straightened out her skirt. Maybe he was right. It certainly wouldn't hurt to come out of her shell. She might have a wonderful time. Even if she made a fool of herself.

A nervous smile spreads on her face. She never really danced with anybody before. The only real dancing she's ever done was ballroom dancing, but that didn't quite fit this scenario. She just had to look around and copy everyone else. She couldn’t go wrong with that, right?

~~

The bartender watched the young couple leave the bar. They were heading towards the dance floor. He decided to watch them for a little while as he worked. He didn't want to miss this. Such a mismatched pair when it came to both height and body shape would make for an interesting dance, or a hilarious disaster. Whatever were to happen, he thought to himself, would surely make quite the spectacle.

It seemed like the other dancers shared the same thoughts as the bartender. It was like Moses parting the Red Sea as Rolo and Corrine strode onto the dance floor. The other dancers made a ring around the couple and watched with anticipation. This was something they also didn't want to miss.

"Ready Corrine baby?" asked Rolo. 

His heart was pounding but he kept a straight face. He had to look strong and confident, for Corrines sake. Rolo just hoped that his strength and determination was enough for the both of them.

"It'll be alright. Just trust me ok?" placated Rolo.

~~

She nodded. Her body tensed up as she felt the stares of everyone around her crawl up her back. There were so many people watching them. Why couldn't they just go away?! Or at least mind their own business? Just continue dancing and leave them alone!

Her heart started pounding. She took Rolo's hand and tightened her grip. 

"O-ok... I trust you..." she looked up and him and took a deep breath. She smiled nervously.

~~

It was exactly as both Rolo and Corrine feared. Their dance was as awkward as hell. They tried to perform something that resembled the waltz, but Corrine kept bouncing off of Rolos gut. It wasn't long until laughter could be heard from the crowd. 

"Hey! Shut up dude! Don't be such a dick!" reprimanded Divo. 

"I'm sorry man, but ya gotta admit. It's pretty damn funny." said Switch.

Corrine bounced off of Rolos gut for the fourth time in a row in an effort to dance. It almost looked like Santa was trying to dance with one of his elves.

"Yeah, you got a point there." replied Divo.

"I think it's cute." intoned Miranda. A girl that Divo met at that party. A short, slightly curvy cutie with long straight black hair.

"Yeah." said Divo.

He felt kinda sorry for both Rolo and Corrine. Though nobody dared to mock Rolo to his face, people still talked behind other peoples backs.

The laughter from the crowd began to intensify. Rolo could see Corrines discomfort grow with each passing second. It was too late to leave though, for they were already in the eye of the storm. Rolos heart began to break as he noticed tears beginning to well in Corrines eyes. There was only one thing he could do.

He brought Corrine close to him and whispered into her ear.

"It's gonna be alright. Just follow my lead ok?" asked Rolo.

~~

Corrine nodded. She let her hair cover her face. Hopefully no one will see her face. All those people laughing and staring gave her an empty feeling in her stomach. She knew she shouldn't have danced. Something bad always happened. 

Oh Corrine please don't cry! Not in front of everyone! She told herself. Curse her sensitive nature.

She held onto Rolo tighter like a security blanket. 

"Alright... I will.." she said softly.

~~

 

"First we'll do the Charleston, then the lindy hop. Then finally, you stand right in front of me. Have your arms stretched out above you. Then I'll lift you up. I'll then spin you around on one hand." instructed Rolo quickly and quietly.

"Do you know those dances Corrine? You must've seen them on tv or something." Rolo urged.

Rolo sincerely hoped that Corrine had a lot of ab strength. She was gonna need it.

~~

 

"But I don't think I can do it. I'm sorry..." Her heart broke. He must’ve be so disappointed. Curse her overprotective father! If she was treated like a normal child, she would be having way more fun! If she was taught more dances she could at least try those instead of ballroom dancing. 

Her sadness turned to anger and she made herself mad. She buried her face into his gut. It was hopeless.

~~

"Alright Corrine, we're gonna start real simple like. Just copy what I do. I'll be tellin you what to do as well, so listen ok." instructed Rolo.

"Trust me, we're gonna rock." placated Rolo.

"Lets do this" he ordered. It was time to nut up or shut up. 

Rolo then began to perform the simple steps of the Charleston, slowly and precisely. Right leg steps back, left leg kicks back, left leg steps forward, then finally the right leg kicks forward. Rinse and repeat. A simple dance for sure yet quite a nice dance when performed well. Always kills at jazzy parties.

The laughter and embarrassment was really starting to get to Rolo. He hoped that Corrine would pick up the dance moves real soon. He whispered the steps aloud as he performed them. Loud enough for Corrine to hear them. Hopefully, it was enough.

~~

Corrine slowly copied what he did, fumbling a few times. She started to feel discouraged, until she finally figured it out somewhat. Step by step, she began to do it on her own. Her frown slowly curled into a smile. She finally got it! She learned how to dance!

She started to giggle at herself. Who cared if anyone laughed at her? At least she was finally having a bit of fun now. She can add one more to her extremely short list of dances. She didn't dance very often, and forgot how fun dancing could be. The only types of dances she knew were only suited for the ballroom and not a party such as this one.

~~

The laughter in the room slowly died down. It was being replaced by a curious silence. The pair were far more adept at dancing than they previously let on. Because if this startling revelation murmurs started to circulate. Murmurs about the possibility of the previous attempts at dance being merely a joke played on the crowd. But the murmurs themselves were quiet, short, and few in number. The crowd was dying to see what was gonna happen next.

"That's it Corrine! You're getting it! You're a natural!" Rolo complimented. He still whispered, so only Corrine could hear.

Maybe, Rolo thought to himself, they were gonna pull it off after all. Both his reputation and his date could still be saved, it seemed.

"Alright, now let's go a little faster." urged Rolo.

Feeling confident that Corrine had mastered the basic footwork of the Charleston, he began to increase his speed. Not too fast so as to allow Corrine to keep in sync. Fast enough though, for the sake of aesthetics.

"Now do this with your arms. It's real easy." instructed Rolo.

Rolo allowed his arms to hang. From this position Rolo begun to swing his arms from left to right, all the while maintaining his dance steps. The effect was the classic solo Charleston. Rolo was confident that Corrine could follow along and truly nail this dance. 

He began to smile gleefully, he was genuinely having fun.

~~

Corrine copied Rolo once again. She felt as light as a feather. She couldn’t help but smile even more. Pretty soon her smile turned into laughter. Then that laughter turned into her cracking up and rolling on the floor. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes as she caught her breath. 

"I'm sorry! I don't mean to laugh! But I haven't had this much fun in ages! Who knew dancing could be so much fun?!" 

She got up and twirled around, her skirt puffed up like a mushroom. She twirled and danced around Rolo, laughing like a little girl. She whispered quietly in his ear. 

"Psst, let's go outside, I wannna ask you something." she giggled, tugging on his shirt.

~~

"Not yet, let's keep going until the song ends." replied Rolo.

It was surprising how quickly and how naturally Corrine learned how to dance. Almost like she was born to do it. With some improvised spins and twirls thrown in, they were really cutting the rug. They actually did look like the knew what they were doing. A cheer began to rise from the crowd, mixed with whistles and shouts of encouragement. 

"Who knew that the big fella could dance?" asked Switch.

"Aww, you jealous?" teased Cynthia. The girl that slapped Switch in school earlier in the week.

"With you baby, I ain't jealous of nothin." replied Switch.

She not so much as kissed him as she violently pounced on him. The pair made their way off the dance floor without a hitch. They were unnoticed by most.

"Wow" said Divo.

"She does that with a lot of guys. Me? I like to enjoy my men just a little while longer." said Miranda. The rather suggestive wink she gave Divo made it plainly clear what she meant by enjoy.

"Wouldn't have it any other way babe." replied Divo.

Finally, the song ended. Rolo and Corrines dance was met with thunderous applause. Even the band itself was applauding them. In that moment, they were the coolest people in the house.

"That was amazing Rolo!" exclaimed Chet.

"Who knew a big fella like you could be so smooth." said the girl in the white dress with red polka dots.

"This is Kirsten, a real cool chick." Chet introduced.

"You were great out there Corrine! I mean wow!" enthused Chet.

 

~~

Embarrassment sets in once again as everyone applauded. There were so many people. She didn't realize how many had shown up to the party.

"O-oh dear... uh... t-thank you... I kinda forgot everyone was here for a moment. I... um..." She stuttered. If she acted quickly, she can hide herself outside from all of the stares and attention. But that looked like it wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. She clung to Rolo's arm.

"R-Rolo, there's too many people here... I don't like it..." she whined. She could feel her face become hot. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

~~

"It's ok Corrine. Lets just go get ourselves a drink." soothed Rolo.

"Sorry boss, Corrine just needs some space ya know. It's nothin personal." Rolo said to Chet.

"Sure thing buddy." he replied. 

"It was lovely to meet you miss." said Rolo to Kirsten rather hastily.

Rolo took Corrine off of the dance floor as quickly and as gracefully as he could. Trying not to barge through people. Not an easy task when the dance floor was as packed as it was.

"Aww poor dear. She's so cute!" exclaimed Kirsten.

"Baby you have no idea." replied Chet.

The band then began to play a whole new song. They played with more enthusiasm than ever before. The lead singer sang in Russian this time around, which was indeed quite an interesting touch. The partygoers on the dance floor resumed their various dances with gusto. It seemed that Rolo and Corrines performance breathed new life into the party.

"That was amazing!" the bartender greeted them ecstatically. 

"You need a drink?" he asked.

~~

Corrine nodded her head. "Just water would be nice. Please." Her voice was shaky, not to mention her body. Everything felt like it was spinning like a top. 

"I need to go outside." 

She scrambled out of the club house panting, hoping no one saw her. She leaned against its side and slid down, her hands touching the cool grass. She almost instantly felt better. She could finally breathe again. She looked up at the sky which was full of stars. Her heart stopped racing. 

All of the embarrassment from getting up and dancing infront of people had washed away. She laid down in the grass and closed her eyes before letting her thoughts wander.


	8. Chapter 7

Corrine! Wait!" Rolo called after her.

Why did she run off like that!? She didn't look like she felt well. Maybe she got dizzy from the dance? Rolo was sweating quite a lot himself. That dance was more exercise than he's had in a long time. No, Rolo thought to himself, it's something else.

"Here's your water little mis.." said the bartender. 

"Thanks man." Rolo replied hastily. Cutting the bartender off in mid speech.

Rolo ran out of the clubhouse the same way Corrine left, taking her glass of water along with him. She looked like she needed it. Hopefully she wasn't sick, thought Rolo.

He found Corrine, lying on the grass outside the club. Rolo began to panic. Did she take something!? Did someone slip something into her drink!?

"Corrine baby! Wake up! Please don't be sick! Please don't do this to me!" cried Rolo.

Tears were streaming down his face. Rolo was on the verge of blubbering like a baby but he didn't care. The only thing he cared about in the world was Corrine.

 

~6~

Corrine groaned. "What the-? Rolo? H-hey whoa! Calm down I'm fine! Honest! I just needed some air!" She said, trying her best to comfort a worried Rolo.

"Oh, please don't cry! I'm Ok! Really! I just can't be around too many people! I didn't mean to make you worry! Oh no, what have I done?!” Corrine hugged Rolo tightly. She didn't mean to make him worried. But it felt nice to have someone so concerned for her in a not too overprotective way. 

"Let's wipe your face before anyone sees." She reached into her bag and took out a pink embroidered handkerchief. She gently wiped his face and smiled. "See? All better! You don't have to worry about me anymore!"

~~

Rolo had no words. All he could do was hold Corrine. All he felt like doing was holding Corrine. All he ever wanted to do was hold Corrine. And so they sat, outside the clubhouse, on the grass together, holding each other. The stars themselves twinkled on this heartwarming scene. The breeze itself blew both gently and soothingly, caressing all that it touched. Truly a perfect moment.

"Do you wanna split?" Rolo asked.

"I can take you anywhere you want." Rolo assured.

~~

Corrine nearly melted in his arms. She felt at ease being near him. She didn't want to let go. She let out a happy sigh. But everything good must come to an end sometime.

"I'd like that a lot. Where should we go? Every place I know is closed." It was late at night. The only place that might be open would be the liquor store. Where could they go without getting in trouble? Corrine thought for a moment, then came up with an idea.

"Let's go to the beach! We can have the whole place to ourselves! I know a special place where we can stay, too." Corrine smiled.

~~

"I don't think it's a good idea to wander these streets at night. There's all kinds of geeks, weirdos, and hobos wondering around." Rolo warned.

"There's even an old creepy dude who shows his withered old dick to people." Rolo explained.

"I can protect you, no problem. It's just that there are some things I don't want you to see, ya know. Seeing as how you're so sweet and innocent and all. And I wanna keep having fun with you, and stuff." Rolo explained further.

"You seem very tired. Maybe I should take you home?" Rolo asked.

"NO! No, don't take me home! I wanna stay! Please don't take me home!" She begged. If any of her brothers found out she was out at a party and a boy was taking her home, they would be furious! She wouldn't be allowed to see Rolo again! The only one who would let her would be Antonio, but even he can get protective.

"Let's just stay here and chat. I'm sure no body else will come around here. It'll just be you and me." she smiled. 

"We can just lay down and look up at the sky and do whatever!"

~~

"Sure thing Corrine. Anything for you." Rolo answered.

And so they continued to cuddle whilst looking up at the sparkling twilight. The muffled sounds of music and laughter was very soothing to Rolos ears. It was like listening to a large, mostly drunken family getting along famously and having a blast. Their shindig at this hip new joint was truly the best party Rolo himself had ever been to. Way better than that party where he got lucky with his ex girlfriend for the first time. But she was gone now, and good riddance. She was probably in a dumpster somewhere, lying with the other trash, Rolo thought bitterly. But Rolo had Corrine now, which was what truly mattered.

An unknown amount of time passed when a few motorcycles pulled up out the front of the club house. A commotion could be heard between the guys at the door and these mysterious bikers. It couldn't be them, Rolo thought to himself. No way would they ever be stupid enough to take the Salt Bay Turbos on in the heart of their turf. But these were strange times for the gang after all.

"Corrine, listen to me." whispered Rolo.

"I think there's some trouble brewin with a rival gang. It'd probably the Slicks, those wannabe dweebs." Rolo explained.

"I need you to go into the girls bathroom and wait until I give the signal. I'll send some chick to give you the safe word when everything's all cool again alright?" instructed Rolo.

"What would you like the safe word to be?" asked Rolo.

 

~~

Corrine looked at him worriedly."Rolo? What's wrong? I'm scared…” She has a bad feeling in her gut. Something bad was going to happen. She sighed and hugged him tightly.

"Tell whom ever that the safe word is peaches. And please stay safe! I don’t know what I would do if you got hurt." She raced to the bathroom, not without giving Rolo a worried smile. She locked herself in and sat in the corner, praying that everything would be ok. 

She's used to these types of situations. Her brother Antonio would bring her a long to some of his gangs hideout places while he was babysitting her. Gangs would come and try to beat up 'The Dragons' but all would fail. Antonio always told her to hide far away. She would hide in nearby junk from the junkyard or run all the way home. She knew that this could either be handled with words or become serious and fists would start flying.

~~

Knowing that Corrine was safe gave Rolo peace of mind. He strode around the corner of the clubhouse to find a small group of about six slicks members at the entrance. The gang members were really getting in the faces of the two doormen, shouting threats and obscenities. Things started to look real heated. Fists could begin flying at any moment. Something had to be done.

"Excuse me fellas, but no loser wannabe greasers were invited. Now kindly fuck off. Or people are gonna get hurt, and it's not gonna be us." Rolo threatened.

"Oh yeah!?" replied one of the Slicks.

None of their guys were as tall as Rolo. But together though, they were an intimidating group.

"Look what we have here. The Salt Lame Turbos’ fatass." taunted one of the Slicks.

"I get it. We ain't playin nice. That's fine by me." replied Rolo. He cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

"Get him!" yelled one of the Slicks.

Rolo was able to punch two of them down but the other four had him pinned to the wall. Roll couldn't move his arms. He was completely defenceless.

"What're ya gonna do now, fat boy?" taunted a Slick.

"You better hope I don't get loose." Rolo threatened.

"Or what, chubsy?" 

Suddenly the clubhouse doors bursted open. All the Salt Bay Turbos at the party gathered to form a large group. At the head of this group was Chet, with Switch and Divo at his left and right.

"Or you'll be in for a world of hurt." threatened Chet.

"The big fella hits hard." said Divo.

"You'll be feelin it for days." added Switch.

"We saw your lame little display earlier today! Got somethin to say!?" yelled one of the Slicks. The one with short red hair.

"Yeah, the Royals are back." replied Chet.

"This ain't over! One day, your lame little group will mess up. And when they do, your ass will be mine!" threatened the red headed Slick.

"Get in line little cup cake. You'll be waiting a while. The Salt Bay Turbos ain't never gonna lose to a bunch of losers like you." announced Chet.

The entire group let out a mighty cheer. The small group of Slicks looked more than a little intimidated. They began to back away slowly towards their bikes.

"Let's go boys! You squares ain't worth it." said the red headed Slick.

"Whatever losers." replied Chet.

Rolo was released from the wall. He stretched his arms, getting rid of the pins and needles.

"The next time I see any of you dweebs around here imma bash some heads!" roared Rolo.

The Slicks scrambled onto their bikes quickly upon Rolos threat. 

"Screw you guys!" one of the Slicks yelled as they sped off down the road.

"What was that all about boss!?" asked Divo.

"Fuck if I know. Let's get back to the party boys!" Chet announced.

The Salt Bay Turbos let out yet another cheer. A very loud and boisterous one. Everyone made their way back into the clubhouse. The party was still going on, like nothing happened. A group of girls awaited near the entrance though. Waiting anxiously for their dates.

Rolo took a random girl to the side. 

"You, there's a girl hiding in the girls bathroom. Tell her peaches ok!?" demanded Rolo.

"A-alright." the girl replied.

 

~~

Corrine could hear laughter coming from the entrance. Did they win? Or did they lose and those bikers came to take over? Corrine could feel her heart pine. What if something happened to Rolo? What if he got hurt?! She felt like crying. The first person she had ever liked could’ve been hurt and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. It was an awful feeling.

Tears were welling up in her eyes. Before she could start to cry, someone knocked on the bathroom door.

"Uh... Peaches?" The voice said, quite confused. Corrine jolted up and nearly ran out the door.

"T-Thank you! Thank you so much!" She thanked the girl at the door and ran outside to where Rolo and the others were hanging out.

~~

Rolo embraced Corrine as soon as he saw her. He had no idea how scared she was, but he could tell she was shaken up. Corrine was an excitable little thing, that she was. 

"Aww that's so cute!" commented the random girl that Rolo sent to fetch Corrine.

"Don't worry, nothing bad happened. Just some wieners making noise. It won't happen again. They know we mean business." placated Rolo. "It's been a big night for you. Ya sure you don't want to go home? At least have a drink, please." Rolo urged.

No doubt the gang has had much wilder nights than that. But it wasn't himself that Rolo was concerned for. Could Corrine ever truly become a part of his life? Such a question Rolo seriously needed to ponder.

~~

"Please! No! I wanna stay a little longer! I wanna stay with you!" She begged once more. She knew her brothers might find out she had left. She didn't want the night to end. Just a little longer, she told herself, just a little longer. 

"Please don't leave me! Please..." She continued to grip onto him tighter. She knew that if her brothers found out about Rolo she wouldn't be able to go to Salt Bay High any longer. She'll be stuck in the house with tutors and chores. She wouldn't be able to go outside as much. She wouldn't be able to see her new friends. What hurts the most was that she wouldn't be able to see Rolo anymore. 

"Rolo... could I ask you a question? It's kinda important. B-but if you don't want to answer that's fine! I-I'll even let you ask me a question if you want! It's been bugging me for a little while now and I want answers..."

~~

"Aww, she doesn't wanna leave." said the random girl again.

"Excuse me miss, we're having a private conversation here." said Rolo.

"Oh, sorry!" apologised the random girl. 

The random girl then pranced away like a deer on a sugar rush. Indeed with Corrine, there was always a sugar rush. Rolo was almost too afraid to do anything even remotely risqué with her. But as the old saying goes, only time would tell.

"Alright little lady. Do you want to go to the bar? Or maybe you wanna dance again? We could request a slow dance song this time, if you want." Rolo offered.

~~

"I wanna hang out with you. Just you and me. Alone." Corrine's voice was much less cheery than usual. That sweet tone is gone, but her high pitched voice is still there. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly.

"I um... well... how do I ask this…” she blushed and looked down at her shoes. For once, she was at a loss for words. She's didn't quite know how to ask him. It should’ve been so easy! Why couldn't she just say what she wanted!?

~~

"I think I know a place where we could go. It's kinda out of the way. Ain't nobody gonna be skulkin around or nothin. But it's a Salt Bay Turbo secret. I'm ain't gonna tell if you're not." Rolo said mischievously.

Rolo knew that Corrine wouldn’t be betray him. But it was the trust the crew had in him that Rolo was concerned about. Bringing a girl he just met to the secret place didn't exactly make him out to be the most trustworthy person. But then again, when have outlaws ever been trustworthy? Honour among thieves is myth after all. 

"We could leave right now if you want." Rolo offered.

Full of passion and bravado, Rolo saw not the error of his ways. He felt truly reckless that night. Such a devil-may-care attitude preceded trouble more often than not. But danger was the furthest thing from Rolos mind.

 

~~

"R-really? Let's go! Right now!" her face lit up as she jumped up and down. She thought this time would never come! Nothing to distract him, nothing to take him away from her, she finally had him all to herself.

"Oh! I promise I won't tell! I'm really good at keeping secrets!”Corinne said in earnest. If she didn't lie she wouldn't be able to have as much fun as she did. What her brothers don't know won't hurt them, right? It was only a party.

~~

I don't doubt that sweet thing. I'm just gonna go clear something up with the boss first." said Rolo.

Roll left Corrine for a few moments to look for Chet. The band up on stage was now playing a new jazzy tune. By this point in the party, people were either slow dancing or making out. Rolo discovered Chet was in the latter group. He and that girl were really going at it like it was going out of style.

Rolo decided to walk back to Corrine. He didn't want to look like a square. Being the baddest outlaw group in town meant being cool at all times. And besides, Chet was his gang leader, not his mother. Not that Rolo obeyed his mother anyway. Well, he liked to think he didn't.

"Alright Corrine baby, let's split. I hope you don't give a damn about safety or nothin cuz you're ridin on the back of my bike, and I don't have a helmet. So if we crash, your head is soup city. But I'm the best rider in town babe. Nothin to worry about." explained Rolo.

~~

"Yes! I ride motorcycles all the time with my big brothers! Antonio said I could take his motorcycle once he taught me! I wanna see what yours looks like!" 

She could hardly wait. She thought they were walking to this special place. It must’ve been far away. But if it meant being with Rolo, she didn’t care. She could go half way across the country and still be fine.

~~

"Alright little lady, follow me." commanded Rolo.

The love struck duo left the club house and the happenin party behind. Man, Rolo thought, he wished he could stick around all night. It was the funnest party he had ever been to. But Corrine wanted to leave, so his hands were tied. 

"See you Rolo, and thanks." said one of the doormen.

"Anytime, you know I like to hurt me some Slicks." replied Rolo.

Rolo took Corrine to the fleet of motorcycles out the front. There were about a dozen of them, all coloured black, all of the same make and model. There were people making out over here as well, leaning on their cars and such. Some raunchy and suggestive sounds emanated from a car nearby that had some particularly steamy windows. It seemed someone was getting lucky. 

"Well here it is, my baby." said Rolo.

He gestured towards one of the black Harley-Davidson FLs. 

"Hop on, imma take you for a ride." Rolo invited.

~~

Corrine looked away from the couples around her. She felt like she was invading their privacy. They shouldn't even be doing that here anyway! Her face burned bright red. 

"W-won't people get caught? Or at least care that others are here as well? Oh dear... I-I'm really embarrassed c-could we please hurry? This is really..." she began to stutter incoherently. It was too lewd for her. She hung around Antonio quite a bit but it was too raunchy for her. She wanted to leave as soon as possible.

~~

"Well Corrine, that's what it's like when you party with us hehehe." replied Rolo.

In truth, this wasn't even the most lewd and inappropriate thing he had ever seen at a party. But it was Corrines first time in his world. Perhaps, Rolo thought, maybe it'll be her last. Who knows, maybe Corrine could fall into the life, though Rolo wasn't sure if that would be the best thing for her. He felt that he had to be vigilant when it came to the protection of Corrines innocence. Whether that would affect his relationship with the rest of gang, who could know for sure.

Rolo mounted his Harley then ignited its engine. It roared to life like a bull, a super fast mechanical bull. Rolo never got tired of that sound, even after all this time. Most of his fondest moments were had on that bike. The first time he ever felt truly free was when he rode her for the very first time. But that was all ancient history. 

"Hop on little lady, and hold tight!" ordered Rolo.

~7~

"Alright!" Corrine happily hopped on the back of his motorcycle. The revving of his engine felt nostalgic. She remembered those long rides home from school when one of the older brothers would take her home. 

Back at the old house, when Antonio was first learning to drive and Lenny wasn't always in charge of the little rascals, her father had put her in grade school. Because their mansion was so far from the school district, they didn't want her walking home. Someone could have snatched her up and that would be the last of Corrine. Antonio had offered to take her home since he had nothing to do but hang out with The Dragons. He made a makeshift booster seat since she was so small. Those were simpler times. 

"Rolo, where are we going?" she tried to shout over the motor.

~~

Charles sat in a black Cadillac limo that was parked across the road from the clubhouse. Indeed Charles sat there the entire time the party raged inside. He wasn't alone though, for he had a little party of his own going on as well. A group of girls kept him company, and these girls, suffice it to say, aimed to please. But little time passed when Charles decided that he grew tired of their company, both physically and mentally. 

It was after Charles dismissed the party girls that he made the anonymous call. The particular model of limo he rode in had a built in car phone, cutting edge technology. It made him feel like quite the powerful businessman. 

A little while after Charles made his call, the gang of Slicks showed up at the club house. It seemed that his little experiment yielded a less than ideal result however, since most of the Slicks were too afraid to show up. It seemed that their gang was less united, less loyal, than the Turbos. So it came to pass that Charles confirmed that he indeed backed the right horse. That the Salt Bay Turbos were his best bet when it came to fulfilling his narcissistic little ambition. 

It was during his third glass of scotch that he spied Rolo and Corrine peeling off down the road on one of those cheap looking bikes. Indeed Charles' curiosity was piqued. The party didn't seem to be going anywhere anyway. And who knows? Perhaps that fat tub of lard was heading somewhere secret? He did have a girl with him after all. Things were starting to get interesting.

"Driver, follow that motorcycle." ordered Charles.

 

~~

Corrine couldn't help but smile. She couldn't help but be reminded if her old home. She couldn't help but feel nostalgic as the wind rushed through her hair and the awful yet addicting smell of gasoline blew through her nostrils.

Oh, how she missed home. The large house that she grew up in. The sunny skies and warm water beaches. She missed her old friends. They were such an inseparable gang. 

Until she had to move. She sometimes wished she had never left that perfect place. She had wished that her brothers would get along like they used to. But she never would’ve met Rolo. She wouldn't be having as much fun as she was. 

She hugged Rolo tightly and smiled.


	9. Chapter 8

The midnight ride through the streets of Sea Salt Bay was a short ride, to be sure, though it was no less enjoyable. The charming little town had many a colourful storefront and restaurant display. A holiday destination for the rich from the city primarily, the aesthetics of the streets downtown bespoke both luxury and class. At the same time, the town gave off a charming, homegrown air. From the perspective of an outsider, Sea Salt Bay seemed like the perfect place to settle down with a family. To live a quaint and traditional lifestyle. Little did they know the ugliness the beauty hid beneath. It was true beauty though, by anyones estimation. And so, for just a little while at least, Rolo and Corrine were able to forget the ugliness of the town and instead, enjoy it's beauty, on their midnight ride.

The motor of the Harley issued a distinct rumbling sound that could be heard from far away. It wasn't difficult for Charles, in his limo, to follow the love struck duo at a safe distance. Far enough away so as not to be noticed easily. Charles quickly surmised the direction in which they rode. He knew that they were going towards the mountain road. Towards the direction where the Lancaster villa was located. Such a thought intrigued Charles further.

Lo and behold, there it was. After several minutes the motorcycle headed out of town, up the paved mountain road. What in blazes was their business up there!? The only places of interest, as far as Charles knew, were his villa and an observatory. The observatory was closed to visitors after nine at night though. And Charles himself has never known a greaser to have an interest in astronomy anyway. Thus the mystery deepened.

And so it was that Rolo and Corrine left the downtown area of Sea Salt Bay and rode up the seldom traversed mountain road. Charles, the ambitious sneak that he was, followed from behind.

~~

Corrine had never actually took the time to see what Sea Salt Bay actually looked like. She had always spent her time at the beach or at the diner. It almost looked like a fairytale town. Everything looked so cute in her eyes. It looked much better than her old home. Then again, she stayed in the house most of the time. Maybe moving here wasn't such a bad idea.

As they rode up the mountain road, Corrine began to feel nervous. They were going quite far from the town. She had no idea any of this was there either. It was a nice drive with an even nicer view, but she had no idea where they were going. She felt worried that they might’ve gone too far. What was Rolo planning?

~~

The darkness of the overhanging trees blocked the light of the full moon almost completely. Slivers of it could still be seen here and there. But mostly the road was illuminated by the motorcycles headlight alone. Such a road would've looked both ominous and spooky if traversed for the first time. To Rolo, the mountain road still possessed some of that original spookiness. It almost felt like being a vampire hunter and journeying to Draculas castle in the dead of the night. Which wasn't such an inaccurate description though, for lord fancy pants' mansion was on the way. But luckily for them, they weren't going that far. 

The first hairpin turn was coming up. Like any mountain road, this one had many hairpin turns. A sane person would slow down to crawl when making such a turn, but not Rolo. Not a high ranking member of the Salt Bay Turbos. Instead, the maniac sped up a little. 

"Hold on tight Corrine baby!" Rolo roared over the engine.

As the hairpin turn approached, Rolo slammed on his breaks. The motorcycle began to skid sideways. The tires made a loud screeching noise as the rubber burned. During this manoeuvre, Rolo alternated between braking and accelerating. And thus the bike continued to skid sideways until it made the hairpin turn. A perfect drift by the master himself. 

"That was awesome!" roared Rolo.

"You doing alright back there babe?" he asked.

He never attempted a drift with a passenger before. But Rolo figured that Corrine was petite enough to not throw off the weight of the rider too much. Rolo decided to keep that little factoid to himself though. He didn't want Corrine to know that he risked her life just to impress her.

~~

"I-I'm ok!" She shakily answered. 

It was easy to tell she got scared. She didn't want Rolo to think she wasn't tough or he might take her home. She wasn’t used to riding so fast and making turns like that. Her brother just cruised around on his bike, enjoying the view and driving along a nice landscape to clear his mind.

Her heart was still pounding, about to burst out of her chest. They could have easily fallen to their doom. She tried to shrug it off. Rolo must’ve known what he was doing, she thought to herself.

"Are we there yet?" she asked. They had to be close.

~~

Rolo knew not whether Corrine enjoyed his stunt or whether she was freaked out of her mind. As far as he was concerned, Corrine was doing fine. But she didn't sound like she was in the mood for anymore though. This was his first time doing a drift with a girl after all. Rolo recalled that if a girl he dated liked whatever he did, she complimented him. That wasn't the case this time it seemed. The last thing Rolo wanted was to do something that Corrine didn't like. He wanted her to have as much fun with him as possible, as often as they could. And so with that in mind, Rolo decided to be on his very best behaviour. 

"Should I go slower around the turns babe!?" Rolo yelled over the engine.

~~

"Y-yes please!" 

She yelled as loud as she could. Her soft voice and the loud motor didn't make a very good match. She held onto Rolo as tight as she could. As much as she loved riding with someone, going somewhere so dangerously wasn't her style. Not to mention the steep drops. If Rolo messes up, it's the end for them. She just had to trust him.

~~

"Alright babe!" Rolo answered.

The rest of their ascent up the mountain road was both slow and careful. Rolo made doubly sure to make the hairpin turns as slowly and as smoothly as possible. There were stretches of the road that were almost in complete darkness yes, but the stretches that were clear though, yielded quite a sight. The view of the town of Sea Salt Bay looked gorgeous from up there. The lights of the town sparkled like the stars themselves. 

After the fourth hairpin turn Rolo began to slow down. It was directly into the fifth hairpin turn into which Rolo drove. What looked like a patch of nondescript woodland actually contained a dirt path. Too narrow to ride his Harley down, that much was for sure. Rolo parked his bike at the entrance of the path. 

Rolo and Corrine dismounted from the Harley. He then promptly took out both a picnic blanket and a torch from the leather bag he attached to the left side of the bike, near his rear wheel. 

"This way, I've got something special to show ya." Rolo gestured towards the dirt path.

Rolo shone the light down the path and proceeded forth.

~~

Corrine was confused. What was he taking with him? What was in that basket? And where exactly where they going? Corrine's head buzzed with questions. She'll have to find out once they get to the end of the trail.

Corrine slipped her arm in his. She clung to him like a teddy bear as they walked down the path. Even with the light, it was terrifying. Everything around them was dark. Shadows casted on trees and bushes created fake monsters in the dark. She heard strange noises coming from all sides. 

"L-let's walk faster, o-ok?"

~~

"Trust me, you'll love it." Rolo reassured.

The path itself was as dark and as ominous as the road itself. Shadows formed by the torch danced as the duo made their way deeper into the thicket. Tall trees and shrubs bordered the path thickly, almost like a hedge maze. A raven in a nearby tree was awoken by their passing. It crowed loudly then took wing. The close proximity of the birds racket startled both Rolo and Corrine. 

Rolo perfectly understood why Corrine would be nervous. The same reason why most people would feel nervous in such a setting. Precisely why Rolo chose this place to go. It was somewhere out of the way with an eery vibe. 

"Just a little further." Rolo placated.

It opened up almost like a pearl. So unexpected and so very breathtaking. The woods broke into a massive clearing. Bathed in the light of the full moon. A huge rock formation stood in the center of it. This massive rock formation jutted out from the slope of the mountain. A strange and almost out-of-place natural monument. It is said that upon this rock formation an amazing view of the town could be enjoyed.

"Come on!" Rolo gestured after him. 

He once again lead the way, this time towards this mysterious natural wonder.

~~

Corrine gasped. She put her hands over her mouth and stared in awe. She gently placed her hand over the rock. She could only dream of this breathtaking view. Everything was perfect. It's as almost as if nature itself knew that they were coming and had created this wonderful display.

"Rolo, this is... spectacular! I don't know what to say..." 

She gazed up at the stars and sighed. If only she could save this wonderful view. But she didn't have a camera. She shouldn't be taking pictures anyway. This place was a secret. She was going to have to keep it. She laid down on the grass and smiled widely. That trip was well worth it to see something like this.

~~

Rolo laboriously clambered up onto the rock formation. He then extended a hand down to Corrine.

"Could you pass me the basket please?" he asked.

After he grabbed the basket he then took a hold of Corrines hand. He pulled her up onto the rock formation with relative ease. The rock itself was cool to the touch. It glowed white under the light of the full moon.

Rolo then approached the lip of the formation. He opened his basket and took out a picnic blanket. He laid it down near the edge. Rolo then took a seat on said blanket. He then patted the blanket right next to him.

"Come, sit." he encouraged enthusiastically.

The view from the rock formation was like nothing else. A sea of stars both above and below. The full moon loomed in the sky like a powerful yet gentle presence. The town of Sea Salt Bay lay spread beneath them, in all its glory. The lighthouse's lonely vigil upon the rocky promontory completed the scene as a symbol of the town itself. A beacon of light that guides travellers on their way. A truly magical place to be sure.

"This place was once called Lovers Haven. The natives of this land though, they call it Ghost Rock. Legends both ancient and modern are tied to this place." Rolo explained.

Rolo rifled through his basket and took out a full bottle of bourbon.

"I know you don't drink Corrine but it's all I got. A couple of swigs won't hurt ya won't it?" he asked.

~~

Corrine continued to stare up at the sky. Rolo was right about this place. It was quite romantic. But why was it called ghost rock? This place didn’t seem to give off a creepy or haunting vibe. Maybe a ghost might pop out. She chuckled to herself at the silly thought. Ghosts weren't real.

"Hm? Oh yeah... I'll try some..." she never really tried alcohol before. This was certainly a new experience she was about to try. She wasn't allowed to drink it, but now that her brothers were gone, she didn't really care.

~~

Rolo took a swig of bourbon before handing it to Corrine. The bitter and burning taste followed by that heady hit. Such a rough yet powerful drink. Not for the faint of heart. But the occasional swig here and there was enough to get a little buzz going. As a drinker himself, even Rolo couldn't get himself to skol an entire bottle in one sitting. He has seen it done before though, but the guy who did it didn't look like he was going to live for very much longer anyway. 

"Let me tell you a tale baby girl, about two star crossed lovers. Joined together by fate and sealed together by love. A tale that spans the ages." said Rolo.

Ghost stories were Rolos favourites. Fond memories of sitting around the campfire with Chet and few other friends, as young boys. Eating marshmallows and talking about girls. But it was the ghost stories that Rolo liked the most. Back when the world seemed so much bigger than it turned out to be. So much more beautiful and adventurous. Telling such tales, for Rolo, brought back those old familiar feelings. At least, for a little while.

"It all began, many centuries ago. Back when the Esselen people ruled this land. Long before the days of Sea Salt Bay." Rolo began. 

 

Charles spied Rolos bike on the side of the road. Right on the fifth hairpin turn, half-way between the town and Lancaster Manor. Such an odd place to stop it seemed. But Charles himself knew all too well why someone would choose to disembark on that particular spot. What surprised him though was that there were people who were still bold enough to do so. Nobody had been to Lovers Haven for years, not since the incident. And those rumours the incident spawned. Perchance that fat tub of lard was too stupid to be weary of areas that were at the heart of such disturbing urban legends. Though Charles was willing to bet that something else was going on at that location. Something the Salt Bay Turbos wanted to remain clandestine.

"Hmm" Charles said to himself.

"Driver, let's just head on home. We're aren't very far away and I could really use a bath." ordered Charles.

The limousine passed the fifth hairpin turn and Rolos parked Harley. Charles himself resolved to investigate the area the following day. He was sure that he'd find something interesting. His loyal bloodhound would see to that.

~~

Corrine sat like a four-year-old, listening intently to Rolo's story. Story time was her favorite. No matter how sappy or horrifying it was; a story was a story. Every story was unique in its own way. This one was quite interesting. Love stories weren't her favorite, but they were nice to listen to.

She looked at the bottle of bourbon next to Rolo. Corrine greedily snatched it up and took a sip. Now she'll finally see what the buzz was about and why her family wouldn't let her have any. She took one sip and immediately realized why: it was gross! It was so bitter! Even with such a tiny sip she felt sick. She wrapped her arm around her mouth and began to cough. It burned in her throats as it slid down into her stomach.

~~

"Hehehe you'll get used to it little darlin. Burns so good don't it." remarked Rolo.

A persons first taste of bourbon is never a graceful affair. Many a spitting and sputtering to be had. The bitter burning taste hid a very slight hint of sweetness. Though perhaps, to Rolo, said sweetness was imagined. To him, the buzz was what was important. But it seemed that Corrine didn't share that philosophy when it came to drinking. Rolo resolved to bring some fruit flavoured vodka mix drinks for Corrine on their next camping trip. A cute girly drink for a cute girly girl.

"Anyways, as I was sayin. It all began centuries ago. Back when the Esselen people roamed these lands both wild and free. When the men were warriors, and the women were queens. Back when your legacy was the lessons and morals instilled in your child. No fancy jewels, cars or nothin." Rolo explained.

He gently took the bottle of bourbon out of Corrines hands. Being careful not to spill its contents. It wasn't a cheap bottle, not by anyone's estimation. But Rolo did like to spoil himself every once in awhile. 

"Thanks Corrine baby." said Rolo.

Yet another swig was taken from the one man drunken army. No buzz yet though, but the night was still young. And a delightful story still needed to be told.

"The Esselen had this belief ya see, that rocks could hold both memory and spiritual power. The Esselen around the area of Sea Salt Bay in particular, believed in a pretty powerful memory holdin rock." said Rolo.

"Take a wild guess where this spiritual rock is at." challenged Rolo.

 

~~

Corrine wipes her mouth from the alcoholic beverage left on her lips. That awful taste remained in her breath. She really needed to brush her teeth to get it out. Drinking more would make her feel sick. She handed over the bottle happily.

"Rock? Oh! Right there!" she happily points to the rock jetting out from the side of the mountain. It was so much fun learning about legends and myths. The stories that told history in a fictional way or the tales people had woven from the past that had survived fascinated her. 

"Why does it hold memories? Aren't they supposed to stay in your head?"

~~

"Yes Corrine baby, this one right here." Rolo responded. He patted the smooth stone of the natural formation left uncovered by the blanket.

"And yeah, I dunno. It's magical and stuff." Rolo said in response to Corrines question regarding the Esselen memory stone.

"The local Esselen people who lived in the area of Sea Salt Bay in particular came to this place. They gathered around this massive stone that we're sitting on right now."explained Rolo. He made a wide sweeping gesture at the surrounding area around them.

"Every night of the full moon they gathered to touch this stone and fill it with their hopes and dreams. They placed their palms on it like this." explained Rolo further. He then placed his palm flat on the stone surface.

"And then they closed their eyes, and thought and prayed with all they had. They left nothin unsaid." said Rolo. 

He then closed his eyes for a couple of moments. A comically strained expression was displayed on his features as he did this. When those couple of moments passed he then opened his eyes, and took his hand off of the stone.

"They also gave the stone their problems, hoping that the great coyote in the sky would hear them. Maybe help them out a little." Rolo explained further.

Almost on cue the call of a coyote was issued, followed shortly by the responding call of a different coyote. The coyotes in the area of Sea Salt Bay were the apex predators of the woods. Though they weren't above digging through people's garbage. The coyotes, thankfully, were far too shy to bother human beings. If a pack were to encounter an injured human that couldn't defend themselves however, that would be a different story. Such instances were admittedly very rare though.

~8~

Corrine clung to Rolo's arm and shivered. She wasn't used to being near wild animals. Her father had made sure to keep them far away from the mansion. Her brothers too. As far as she was concerned, that coyote could gobble her up and not bat an eye.

"C-could we pray f-for that thing to go away? I don't like it..."

She buried her face in his arm.

"Hey? What if that coyote thing is real?! I mean... of course it can't be... but what if it is?!"

~~

"Don't worry little darlin. Those critters won't hurt us. They can't even reach us up here anyway." placated Rolo.

"I mean, you could pray for those coyotes to go away, but then the great coyote would just laugh at you." said Rolo.

He cuddled Corrine while she buried her face in his arm. She felt so warm yet so fragile. She was so fun yet so adorable. Rolo couldn't help but be smitten.


	10. Chapter 9

We haven't even gotten to the spooky part yet." said Rolo playfully.

He took yet another swig of bourbon. The soothing burn and that heady feeling. That hit the spot! He then continued his tale with gusto. The setting was just too perfect. Romantic and eerie yet wild and untamed. Truly it was Rolos most memorable date yet. 

"Anyway, there were two people who always came to these gatherings. But the reason why they came was different to the others." explained Rolo. "They were teenagers, about our age. A boy and a girl. The boys name was Khalo and the girls name was Lakhi. They saw each other all the time, but they were too shy to talk." said Rolo.

He paused momentarily before continuing. "They each prayed into the stone that the great coyote would give the other the courage to talk. Maybe ask them out on a date or something." revealed Rolo.

"But one day, the great coyote heard one of their prayers, or so they thought. Everything changed after that." explained Rolo further.

He could tell that Corrine was getting really interested in the story. Rolo could also tell that she was bursting with questions. And so Rolo paused every now and then so as to allow Corrine to satisfy her curiosity. For a brute, Rolo was so very gentlemanly at times.

~~

Corrine was practically bouncing up and down. It had been so long since she's heard a good story. 

"Well, what happened?! Did the coyote do something?! Did they get together? Or did one have to sacrifice themselves?! Oh! Oh! What if they never really did get together?! Tell me, Rolo tell me!" she tugged his arm roughly. 

"These people shouldn't have to pray to a rock if they love each other! Just blurt it out! If you really love them you should be able to accept if they reject your feelings! You should want the best for them!" she started taking her words into consideration. Maybe she should just be more open and honest with her feelings. But later.

~~

"Ahh, easy there little lady."cautioned Rolo. Corrine tugged on Rolos arm a little too roughly. He took it as a compliment though, so no harm done.

"And yeah, I agree Corrine baby, I do. But that's just how the story goes." said Rolo in response to Corrines dating advice. It seemed that Rolo could stand to follow that advice himself. There were so many things he wished to say to Corrine.

"Well, back to the story! The good parts comin up!" announced Rolo enthusiastically.

"The Esselen people of the Salt Bay Area prayed to both the great coyote and the great raven. They came to this very special rock to better pray to the coyote, for you see, the great coyote created the land." Rolo explained.

He took a deep breath before continuing. "But before sleep that very night, the people prayed to the raven, the creator of the sky. And they did this on their own, like how we say our bedtime prayers. For the raven is always there, listening. Not like the coyote, who's too busy playing tricks to pay attention to any one person. The Esselen people believed that they had to gather at his sacred sites to get his attention." Rolo explained further.

"And it is said by the Esselen people that a message is sent from the spirit world if one hears first a raven and then a coyote beforehand. The Esselen people believed that messages from the spirit world must always be taken seriously, for they contain wisdom that is beyond man." said Rolo.

"And so we return to our star-crossed lovers Khalo and Lakhi. Now that we know a little bit of history of these people, we'll better understand the stuff that happens, and why." explained Rolo.

Some parts of the legend Rolo had remembered verbatim. Mostly though, Rolo was paraphrasing. But he remembered enough to properly tell the tale. It was so long ago when he first heard it from an Esselen elder. Back when the local tribe still had their gatherings. Sadly though, that tradition died out as more and more natives moved away from Sea Salt Bay and into the city. Only a few elderly Esselen people remained in the town. 

"You want another swig Corrine?" Rolo asked whilst handing the bottle of bourbon to Corrine.

"Come on! You know you wanna." Rolo urged jokingly.

~~

She looked at the bottle. She knew what was coming, but took it anyway. She stared at the contents inside, remembering that horrible burning she felt. She took a small sip and coughed again. It wasn't as bad as before, but it was still terrible. She handed him the bottle and coughed a bit more.

"Yuck! I'll never understand how people like that stuff. I guess I have to be more grown up to understand it."

"Hey! Get on with the story! I wanna hear the good parts!" she pouted. He must be doing it on purpose. Building suspense is nice and all, but it's no fun when you're as impatient as Corrine.

~~

"The taste may not be pretty but the buzz sure is. Who knows, it might grow on ya." replied Rolo.

Rolo took the bottle of whisky from Corrine and took another swig. At this rate, Rolo would be finishing the bottle on his own, not that he's complaining. It wouldn't be the first time he spent the night taking swigs from a full bottle of bourbon, alone.

"Here's where it gets good." announced Rolo.

"The great coyote heard the prayers of the two shy star crossed lovers. Those prayers in particular, interested him greatly. Such prayers allowed for a lot of mischief, without bothering the boring old raven. Not that the coyote cared what the great Raven thought. He just didn't want the great Raven to ruin his mischief. He could be a real party pooper, especially when it came to mischief involving people. And so the great coyote secretly hatched his mischievous plan." explained Rolo.

"It was during one of the Esselen people's hunting trips when a storm hit. The hunters themselves knew that it was coming, but they needed the meat of the deer. And so they hunted through the rain. The teenage boy known as Khalo was one of the hunters. He was amazing with the bow. He was so good that his shot went straight through the deers head. 

After bagging themselves a prized buck the hunters made their way back to the camp. Along the way Khalo tripped over a smooth stone, which was placed there by a coyote. Khalo fell flat on his face, hard. While he was stunned the coyote snatched his necklace from around his neck and ran off. Because it was raining so hard, most of the hunters didn't notice it, not even Khalo." explained Rolo.

"And so then the coyote ran back to the Esselen people's village, where the girl known as Lakhi waited anxiously. She worried about Khalo, for the heavy rain made it difficult to walk through the woods. Her heart plummeted when she saw the coyote, with Khalos necklace in its mouth. 

Meanwhile, another coyote placed a big pile of dead squirrels near the village that day, and buried them. It was when the coyote with the necklace reached the village did the other coyote dug up the dead squirrels. The nearby ravens were so excited to see such a feast that they flocked around the pile and cawwed excitedly. 

After Lakhi heard the ravens cawing did the other coyote howl. It was the sign from the spirit world, remember!? It was then that the coyote with the necklace ran off into the woods. Lakhi chased after it, hoping to find Khalo. She was willing to do anything for him, at any cost." explained Rolo.

"Almost there little darlin." placated Rolo.

 

~~

Corrine was on the edge of her seat. Not even Oliver could tell a story as good as this! Corrine held onto Rolo's hand tightly. 

"Rolo stop doing that! Finish it! What happened to Khalo!? And Lakhi?! Will they be ok!?" She beamed. If you look hard enough, you could see the stars in her eyes. She could barely sit still. Even if Rolo wasn't telling a story, she was just excited to be around him. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when he was near. She just felt so happy! She just couldn't understand why.

~~

"And so Lahki wandered through the woods. Through the rain and blowing debris. She never returned." Rolo said rather dramatically.

"When Khalo returned with the hunting party, they discovered a commotion in the village. It turned out that Lahki went missing during the rainstorm. The people were confused, for they could've sworn that Lahki was there in her hut before the storm hit. Many people were deeply worried that something bad might've happened to the poor girl.

And so they held a brief village meeting with the elder of the tribe. They quickly came to the conclusion that Lahki must've ran off. For the life of them they couldn't fathom why. What was supposed to be a celebration of their hunting success turned into a frantic scrambling for a search party. Of course, Khalo volunteered on the spot. He was desperate to find Lahki after all.

Try as they might, they couldn't find her. Searched they did for days on end with not a trace to be found. People wondered what happened to her, what terrible fate befell her. Some said she fell off of a cliff, others said she got sick and died while taking shelter inside a log, some even said that she was still lost, still wandering the woods." narrated Rolo.

This time around, he gave the bottle of bourbon a good chug. He then put an arm around Corrine and held her tight. Rolo knew that Corrine despised the bourbon. He also knew that because of that, she'd probably shiver a little out in the wilderness in the middle of the night. Perhaps coming out there wasn't the best idea when they were still in their party clothes. But it was a romantic and adventurous spur-of-the-moment thing. And it turned out to be a heck of a lot of fun.

"If you're cold Corrine I can give you my leather jacket." offered Rolo.

 

~~

Corrine cocked her head to the left.

"O-oh thank you. But won't you be cold? You should keep it. I'll just steal your body heat." she giggled and leaned against his chest. She took his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. She didn't need his jacket. As long as she had him he was fine. Nice and comfortable and squishy! 

"Ok, keep going! What happens next?"

~~

Corrine was such a sweetheart, Rolo thought. He felt that he definitely made the right decision. No other girl was this fun nor this sweet. To be fair though, no other girl was like Corrine. Rolo held Corrine with one arm while he took some sips of bourbon with the other. To Rolo, this was bliss.

"Stricken by grief and desperation, Khalo made his way back here, to this sacred site. The place they called Ghost Rock." said Rolo, whilst patting the stone beneath them.

"Day and night, he prayed into the stone. He neither slept nor ate. Every gathering on the night of the full moon he was always seen there. He ignored people who tried to speak to him. He got enraged and lashed out at them whenever they did. They even went so far as to kidnap Khalo and take him back to their village, but somehow, he always escaped, he always made his way back to Ghost Rock. 

This strange and worrying incident with Khalo began to make the villagers wonder, was Ghost Rock cursed? Eventually, they began to believe that Khalo was no longer human, but a ghost walker himself. One of the living dead." explained Rolo.

He took a massive gulp of bourbon this time. This part of the story always emboldened him. A part of him kinda believed it. And so he drank not just for enjoyment, but to alleviate the spooky feeling he conjured up.

"Nobody knows why the great coyote did what he did. Despite everything, the Esselen people still believed that the great coyote wasn’t evil, merely indifferent to humanity. Many people came to believe that the great coyote wished to teach the the ill-fated duo a lesson. A valuable lesson about dealing with ones own problems. That if one was not willing to test oneself, then someone else would, and not in the way they could necessarily handle.

It is said that the great raven was so mortified about being tricked by the great coyote, that the moon shone red with both embarrassment and pain every time the raven remembered the incident. Thus, this is why we have the lunar eclipse.

Some people say that Khalo still haunts Ghost Rock, even to this day. That people have seen him, back when they still visited Lovers Haven. Praying into the Rock and snarling at anyone who got close. People often felt a sense of dread and foreboding whenever he was near.

Of course, this is just a cautionary tale passed down by the Esselen people of the Sea Salt Bay area. But there was an incident a few years ago. One that stripped Lovers Haven of the popularity of being the local hangout for dates and stuff. One that reignited the belief of the haunting of Khalo, the living dead." explained Rolo.

~~

Corrine laughs. 

"Oh, Rolo! Ghosts aren't real! It's all just a fairytale! It's a shame that story had such a sad ending. And that this place isn't very popular. But I really liked your story! I guess that just means this spot is for the taking now, huh?" She sighed happily. She felt something churn in her gut. She felt like she was forgetting something. A few things actually. What could they have been? She thought and thought. Until she remembered her question. The thing she wanted to ask Rolo all night!

"Hey, Rolo? Um, could I ask you a question? I've been wondering about something for awhile now. It's been bugging me all day. I tried asking you earlier but I got too scared or distracted. Well I guess now that we're here and all... I can ask you. I-If you want! I mean, if you feel uncomfortable I won't push you! Honest!" she blurted out. 

Her face turned red. She normally was much more composed than that. She felt so embarrassed. What was wrong with her? Why was she making things so complicated?!

~~

Rolo took one last gulp of bourbon. It was the biggest gulp of the night. Such a big hit made his head spin. He began to think he had too much. With half the bottle gone, his head was starting to swim. But Rolo has had been in similar scrapes with alcohol before. This time though, he was with Corrine. That changed things, in fact it changed everything. 

"I'm glad you liked it Corrine. An Esselen tribe elder told me that story when I was a kid. The tribe used to have gatherings in the wilderness on the night of the full moon. I was always taken to them by my parents a few years back. They never had them at Ghost Rock though. Because of the curse and stuff." Rolo explained.

He could tell that Corrine was feeling nervous yet excited about something, she practically said so herself. Rolo could only guess what it was. He hoped it was what he was thinking it was, but at the same time, he wasn't sure how he'd feel if it was so. Rolo liked Corrine, that much was true. It was for that reason that he had a feeling of trepidation. He didn't want his relationship with Corrine to end up like his last one. It was wild and fast, but that was all it ever was. Never once was the relationship with his ex as sweet and as genuine as it was with Corrine. Rolo felt that he needed a relationship like this, more than anything. Especially during such uncertain times.

"Ya know there's an urban legend connected to this place right babe? Based off of that legend I just told ya." asked Rolo. 

He wished to avoid what he feared Corrine was gonna ask. But Rolo knew that he couldn't avoid it forever. Such things couldn't be avoided, no matter how much he wanted them to be. Not until the perfect ending, Rolo thought to himself. Not until then.

~~

Drat! Avoided again! The third time hadn't worked its charm. Maybe the fourth time would do it?

"O-oh! Really? What is it? I don't believe in rumors like that but... I guess I could give it a shot!" It was true. Her father forced her to only believe in reality along with the rest of her brothers. That meant no Santa Claus, tooth fairy, Easter bunny or any type of fairy tale. Urban legends were just rumors spread by locals to scare children, her father always said. You should only believe in facts, they'll guide you in life. 

She brushed off what her father taught her and decided to listen to his tale. Well, half listen. She needed to ask him! It was eating her alive!

~~

"Not many people know this, but Sea Salt Bay has been host to many mysterious disappearances over its history. These people have all been teenage girls. And do you wanna know something really creepy? Those disappearances have been said to occur around the area of Lovers Haven." said Rolo dramatically.

"The thing was that those who disappeared were never the locals. This of course made a lot people disbelieve the rumours of those mysterious disappearances.” explained Rolo.

"People who did believe though, they had their theories. One was that Lovers Haven was a place teenage runaways were seen before disappearing out into the open world. Another was that Khalo, or some mysterious serial killer, got them. Most people though, believed that suicidal teenage girls always made their way to Lovers Haven, to enjoy the beauty of this place, before ending it." said Rolo sombrely.

"It was about five years ago now, when yet another disappearance occurred. What was strange was that in the couple of weeks before the incident, an odd figure was seen, touching this rock formation with both of its hands. It was always seen on the night of the full moon. 

The girl that disappeared this time around, was found. She was found dead in the woods due to mysterious circumstances. Seriously, not even the coroners could figure out the cause of death. But ever since then, people have linked the incident to that old Esselen legend of Khalo and Lahki. People have stayed away ever since." said Rolo.

"I myself don't know what to believe Corrine. But let me tell ya, this town has secrets. Some of which you're better off not knowing." Rolo explained eerily.

"But at least we get to enjoy this place together. No squares around to ruin the mood. That was always a pain back when this place was popular." said Rolo cheerily.

"Do you remember when we ran into that raven on the trail? Then later we heard those coyotes? I wonder, is the spirit world trying to tell us something? Rolo asked.

 

~~

For once, Corrine actually felt scared. Not only did the rumor sound true, it seemed likely that it could happen again. Everything seemed to connect; the girl dying, the animals making a racket, the place of where it happened. 

"I-I mean, maybe it was just a coincidence! This place is beautiful after all. All the nature and such must attract them, right? It certainly does attract me." She shrugged it off with a chuckle. Her heart sank when she looked up at the sky to see a round, milky moon. His legends could have been true. 

"Rolo! You got me all scared! These rumors can't be true! They're just stories! O-oh dear..." Corrine whimpered. She heard a small crack coming from a bush and quickly hid herself in Rolo's arms. Her imagination ran wild. Maybe it was one of the coyotes or crows Rolo was talking about. She didn't want to stay and find out what it was going to do to her.

~~

"Relax Corrine, I'm the biggest, scariest thing in this forest." stated Rolo with bravado.

"Wasn't there something you wanted to ask me babe?" he asked.


	11. Chapter 10

She perked up. Now was her chance! This question that was tearing her apart for days!

"O-Oh, uh, well.... um.... you know, I've been thinking lately. I've been thinking a lot. I've been thinking about you, and me, and well, everything. From my move here to meeting you, or just from going to school, everything is changing. I think I'm finally growing up." She paused for a minute to reflect on what she just said.

"I guess even though Daddy tried his best to keep me as young and little as possible, it didn't work. There's stuff I've never felt before. Some good and some bad. I've never hated someone so much before, but I've also never really cared for someone so much before. I'm a little scared to see what's to come. I almost don't want to grow up. But I guess I should! I mean, if I didn't, I wouldn't get to spend time with you anymore! And well... I like you a lot!" She couldn't believe she said it out loud. But she felt neither bad nor embarrassed. In fact she felt a great weight being lifted off of her chest.

"You make me feel safe, Rolo. Like I'm at home. Sometimes I feel really nervous around you. Like, I can't speak or do anything right. But it's a nice kinda feeling! I like being with you, Rolo. I really do. I guess that wasn't a question. It was more of a confession. But my real question is, uh, well... do you like me? It's ok if you don't. I can take a hit. I mean, we only just met yet I feel like I've known you forever!" she laughed nervously. She didn't care about his answer anymore. Just saying all of that made her feel as light as a feather. She couldn't help but smile. But fleet had for Rolo. That was a lot to pour out on the big guy. She hoped he wouldn’t think ill of her nor make fun of her.

~~

Corrine's confession was a lot to take in, that's for sure. The prospect of such a confession made Rolo admittedly nervous. But the actual confession itself, unsurprisingly, made him happy. In fact it made him happier than he had ever been. His heart felt like it was about to burst. He felt like signing from the very rooftops themselves. He felt like howling at the moon. No doubt all of Sea Salt Bay would've head Rolo if he did from Lovers Haven. 

That feeling passed though, as soon as it came. Rolo had to tell Corrine how he felt. She deserved to know. He didn't want to lie to her, nor lead her on. Rolo cared way too much about Corrine to do anything of the sort.

"Listen Corrine, I like you to. I mean I really really like you. Baby girl you've made me the happiest guy in the world. It's just that..." Rolo hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"There was this girl, that I was seeing. We broke up late last year, and it wasn't mutual. Our relationship only lasted a few months but it was the first real relationship I've ever had. I was in love with her Corrine, so very in love. But then she...she...she...." Rolo barely whispered out those last couple of words.

"She broke my heart like it was nothin! I gave her everything and it still wasn't enough! And you wanna know the worst part!? It wasn't just that she dumped me. She made me feel like a total dweeb! I let that stupid whore get the best of me! And she almost made me lose my friends! My brothers for life, the Salt Bay Turbos! If it wasn't for the fellas I..I." Rolo could barely hold back his tears at this point.

"You wanna know what's truly nuts Corrine? A part of me still loves her. A part of me always will.” whispered Rolo.

"You're the only other girl who's ever made me feel this way. The thought of losing you. I, I just can't." Rolo said gravely.

Rolo sniffled a little. He then wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. He hoped against hope that his eyes didn't betray his emotions.

"I'm sorry Corrine. I must've had a little too much. I'm not too drunk to ride though, honest. Maybe I should take you home." offered Rolo.

 

~~

Something in Corrine snapped. She couldn't tell if it was good or bad. It must've been bad. It was such a tragic tale. Someone Rolo cared about so much went and broke his heart. She must've been horrible to hurt him like that! How dare she?!

"Rolo I... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel so sad. Please don't cry I'm sorry! I didn't realize... oh god what have I done?!" She stood up and covered her face. Corrine felt like crying now. She hurt someone she cared for. Someone else hurt someone she cared for! Shame washed over her like a tidal wave. She never should’ve said anything! She never should’ve made her feelings known! Something bad always happened and she broke her friend's heart! She's such an awful person! How could she have done that?!

Tears welled up in her eyes and stung as they slid down her face. She couldn't let Rolo see her cry. That was selfish. Rolo was the one who was hurting! Yet she couldn't understand why she was feeling so awful.

"Rolo no... I don't want to go home! Please don't take me home!" She begged. Her voice was shaky and weak. She knew he would force her to go home. She had to. She had a visitor coming over from somewhere far away. It would’ve been rude to keep him waiting. She didn't care if her brother's saw her. She felt like jumping off of that magic rock and never waking up. If she prayed hard enough the coyote would listen to her prayers and save her the pain of what was to come.

~~

"No Corrine, you've got it all wrong. I don't want you to leave. I never want you to leave. That's what makes me so afraid. I never want to lose you, but I can't make you stay." said Rolo quietly.

"If forever isn't promised Corrine then let's just enjoy this one moment, together. I don't want to be afraid no more." whispered Rolo.

Rolo leaned in slowly as he gazed into Corrines dazzling eyes. Their faces inched closer and closer with each passing breath. Rolo knew what he wanted, and he wanted it more than anything.

~9~

Corrine let her body move on her own. It was like a spirit had possessed her and took over her will. The world seemed to disappear around her. Nothing mattered except for the person in front of her.

She closed her eyes and flowed through the motions. Her eyes were still red from her tears and her heart was pounding faster and faster. Time moved slower and slower. Corrine knew what was about to happen. Everything stopped. She was sucked into another world that she couldn't get out of. In that moment her heart stopped as well.

~~

She was as warm and as sweet as her personality. Words couldn't describe how right it felt. Innocent yet sensual were two words that very rarely went together. But it was in that moment, that they combined as one. To perfectly describe a heavenly moment. Truly a manifestation of the divine that lasted but for a fleeting moment. Corrine was a good kisser, one could hardly dispute. Her tongue was soft and yielding, yet willing. It was hard to describe. Could one truly be at fault for having difficulty describing the perfect kiss? Hardly, for words could do it no justice.

Such a divine kiss however, quickly gave way to depraved thoughts. Rolo felt a stirring in himself of an animalistic nature. Being a young guy such as himself, this stirring was most prominent in his pants. And it was at that moment that he realised that he went as far as he was comfortable with going. Truth be told, he was no stranger to the ways of the woman. But it was the speed of which these "ways" seemed to be progressing that reminded Rolo of his ex-girlfriend. 

Rolo broke the kiss off rather unceremoniously.

"Corrine baby I like you a lot. You know I do sweet thing. It's just that maybe we're goin just a little too fast." said Rolo sheepishly.

"It's just that I don't want our relationship to end up like my last one. It started off hot and heavy, but then that's all it ever was. I like you Corrine, for more than just the sweet stuff." explained Rolo.

"Could we uhh take it slow babe? Ya know, just for a little while." asked Rolo. The colour rose in his cheeks.

~~

Corrine's face was pure red. The heat rose in her cheeks and spread throughout the rest of her body. That was her first kiss. She didn't even know she could kiss like that. She felt so embarrassed letting herself go like that. The taste of him still lingered in her mouth. That bitter bourbon he loved so much was prominent in his breath. But it felt so wonderful, she didn't even care. 

"O-Oh of course! I mean, I've never done any of this stuff before. It's all so new and if it goes too fast I, well... you know. Um... Wow... That was..." She stuttered. She couldn't think of anything to describe how good it felt. To be loved by someone other than family was extraordinary. Her eyes were filled with a love struck daze. Wonder and curiosity filled her mind. What was going to happen next between the two? After that kiss, they could never go back to being just friends. And what if someone found out? They could easily ruin their reputation. But that didn't matter now. What mattered was that the coyote had answered her prayers.

~~

Rolo felt beyond relieved about Corrines understanding nature. In truth he had no idea how Corrine would react to his proposal to go slow. But at the time, he felt that he could say anything to her, anything at all. Such a level of trust in another person was something Rolo never felt before. Rolo was smiling, in fact he was beaming. He let out a loud peal of laughter.

It was after a moment of laughter that he noticed that Corrine looked extremely embarrassed. Poor thing probably thought that Rolo was laughing at her, making fun of her. Nothing could've been further from the truth. In fact, Rolo respected Corrine. He respected her more than any other girl he had ever met.

"Sorry about that Corrine. It's just that you, you make me so happy." stated Rolo ecstatically.

"If you don't want to go home then we can always camp out here. But I don't have a blanket though. Luckily for us, it's a warm night." Rolo reassured.

"If you get cold, you can always use my jacket. Or we can just cuddle for warmth and stuff. Trust me, I won't mind." offered Rolo playfully.

~~

Corrine smiled. He was always such a gentleman to her. As much as she wanted to she knew she had to go back home. Tomorrow was a big day for her and she should've been asleep by now. 

"Thank you but, I have to go home. If I'm late, my father will put me... You know what? Forgot my father! I'm going to stay with you the rest of the night! Who cares what anybody else says?!" She beamed. Tonight was her night! She wasn't going to listen to anybody! For once she could finally be free from that cage she called a home. For once she could make her own decisions without her father forcing her to decide the direction of her life.

"I don't mind staying the night with you, but we have to be at my house before noon. Someone is coming over and I need to be ready. I don't want to meet him but if I disobey... well, I don't want to think of what happens! I just wanna stay with you!" She forced out a laugh to brighten the mood. She wasn't supposed to talk about her life like that. Not even a little. But apart of her told her not to ruin this wonderful moment.

She dropped her bag on the ground and yawned. "I'm sleepy... I should sleep soon. We have to be up early and drive all the way across town if I wanna be on time." she took out her pocket watch and looked at the time. It was almost one in the morning. She had never stayed up that late before. Fatigue was finally setting in. Her eyes grew heavy and she yawned once more.

~~

And so they cuddled beneath the stars, upon the face of Ghost Rock. The full moon shone its brilliance down upon Lovers Haven, illuminating everything in an otherworldly white glow. Ghost Rock itself gleamed so brightly, that it almost seemed like the rock formation emitted its own white light, much like a ghost. A soft and gentle breeze blew through the air, carrying with it a soothing coolness to what turned out to be a rather heated night. 

Rolo and Corrine spent the rest of the night cuddling whilst looking up at the twinkling twilight. They talked a little but mostly shared silence. It was one of those times when words were not needed, for silence said everything. It wasn't long until they fell asleep in each other's arms however, comforted by the mutual love they felt for one another. Off in the distance, a coyote issued forth its call. 

 

Charles emerged from his private bathroom in an embroidered satin silk robe. He then sat down upon one of the padded leather chairs in his bedroom. Nothing felt better than being clean at the end of a long day of being dirty. Despite his highly cultivated bearing though, Charles wasn't above roughing it every now and then. Breaking bread with the little people and all that. But it was always important for a Lancaster to act his position in life, which was naturally above all and sundry. At times though Charles almost felt a little lonely, but then he would always remember that he was filthy rich. He could buy and sell anyone, once he inherited his father's fortune of course. Charles fancied himself more than adequate enough to prove himself however. 

"Just you wait you tired, broken old man. I'm going to be a far greater Lancaster than you ever were." Charles said quietly to himself. 

He looked upon the miniature photographic portrait of his father upon his glass cabinet. Charles gazed upon it with a mixture of resentment and longing. It seemed that the only person Charles cared about in the whole world, considered him both a nuisance and a fool. 

Suddenly there was a knocking on his bedroom door. A short and rhythmic rapping of knuckles on wood. 

"This better be important." Charles threatened.

"It's quite important sir, Mr. Yoshida is on the phone." said one of Charles' personal butlers. His voice was slightly muffled by the solid oak door.

"Really!? He knows that father is away right!?" asked Charles with genuine curiosity.

"Indeed he does sir. He has a favour he wishes to ask of you in particular." replied his butler.

"Curious." Charles replied.

He stood up from his chair then headed towards the door of his bedroom. Charles considered it strange that one of his father's important business contacts asked for him in particular, and at that time of night. He sighed as he braced himself for this rather mysterious conversation.


End file.
